Supporting 300 families and 19 organisations
After the peace agreement signed in 2016, Colombia now faces a major challenge: making sure the agreement is actually put into practice in order to lay the foundation for lasting peace. Acting for Life and its local partners are carrying out this project in support of family farming in order to ensure that the first point of the agreement (integral rural development) becomes a reality.
Acting for Life, Fundación Colombia Nuestra, ASOVIDAS (network of smallholder organisations created during the previous project) and five partner municipalities are working together on this project in support of family farming to ensure that the first point of the peace agreement (integral rural development) becomes a reality.
The project covers an area that has suffered greatly as a result of the armed conflict (insecurity, illegal crop cultivation, forced displacement, recruitment of young people, etc.). The towns of Caldono, Morales and Cajibío were recognised by the United Nations and the Colombian government as priority zones for applying the peace agreement. Caldono is home to one of the 31 transition zones where some 7,000 Farc soldiers assembled to hand in their weapons and definitively reintegrate into civilian life.
Project overview
This project aims to continue the strategy of producing and selling coffee and panela (unrefined cane sugar) for the 300 families belonging to 19 organisations partnered with ASOVIDAS. Through this strategy, the project seeks to facilitate and improve access to markets for small producers so that they can sell their produce.
To do so, Fundación Colombia Nuestra and ASOVIDAS are transitioning to environmentally friendly farming so that they can start using the organic label, and adding more value to products through processing and diversification.
The project also organises forums for discussion on environmental issues relating to local management. The discussions are centred on the idea of how to manage water for human consumption and agricultural use as climate conditions change.
Objectives
- help build a lasting peace in 5 towns in the Cauca department by supporting diversified family farming;
- strengthen the organisational, production, marketing and local-management capacities of the ASOVIDAS network and its 19 members organisations;
- transition to agroecological and organic production (transition plans, training for producers and production managers, experience-sharing, certification fees);
- create forums for discussion on local water management (consulting, assessment, conference fees).
Key figures and results
- 300 smallholder families in the Cauca department will benefit from the project;
- 19 small-producer organisations have improved their skills and are qualified as actors in sustainable and peaceful local development in discussion and decision-making forums.
