Architects of a New Dawn : Solutions

Agriculture & Permaculture
+ Add a Challenge
1 2
Vote UpVote Down

Colombia - Lack of Viable Crop Alternatives

As land confiscation and upheaval resulting from years of conflict have displaced Colombians from their lands, farmers have relocated to increasingly remote - and less fertile - regions. Even if the soils allowed robust legal crop production, the poor infrastructure of these regions would make it difficult to transport goods to market.

As a result, many small-scale farmers in these remote regions have resorted to coca cultivation. Despite alternative development policies designed to provide these peasants with legal crops, coca cultivation persists, in large part because alternative crops simply lack the economic viability that coca allows.

Contributed by Arielle Eirienne, Power.of.Purpose! Communications

+ Add a Solution

Known Solutions

for Colombia - Lack of Viable Crop Alternatives

Participatory Environmental Management for Peace and Sustainable Development
ECOFONDO, a Colombian non-governmental organization, works toward environmentally friendly, sustainable agricultural production. Preliminary reports indicate that ECOFONDO programs have been successf...
+ Add a Solution

Innovative Solutions

for Colombia - Lack of Viable Crop Alternatives

Roads
Part of the reason that crop alternatives to date have suffered in terms of viability is that the lack of solid roads linking rural areas to markets has prevented the large-scale sale of any licit cro...
Urban Development
When life in the country turns up dead end after dead end, it might be useful for policymakers to provide Colombian peasants with something to move toward. Development of economic opportunities in to...
Prioritize True Alternative Development
"Alternative development" is a term en vogue these days, and the U.S. government has regarded it as a component of the overall drug eradication strategy for Colombia. Nevertheless, when the goal is p...
+ Add a Comment

Comments

on Colombia - Lack of Viable Crop Alternatives

Hemp fields for the 50,000 hemp products that might be made (again) in order to save the planet. Then shift to marijuana after it becomes legalized in more countries. Canada seems set to lega...
- James Butler
The solution is one that lays around the corner. and that is legalise cocaine as it is used all over the world a people like it as other drugs and alcohol !! When something is legalised it will get ...
- ton popelier

Notify me of New Entries on this Page

Receive an email whenever a new solution or comment is added to this challenge.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
Enter your Email:
Work Collaboratively

Work Collaboratively on this Challenge

Ask to join a group of volunteers working collaboratively on solving this challenge. The Team's solution(s) will be published.