Development of Inclusive Markets to Build Peace in Colombia

Colombia is the largest producer of coca leaf in the world. Since 2000, United States has allocated USD 10 billion in an attempt to stop its production, with more than 1.6 million hectares being sprayed in an attempt to eradicate coca plantations. But the cultivated area in the country has increased by an average of 45% per year – with 177,000 hectares in 2017 being used for growing coca. As is evident, the fight against drugs has failed.

Working in the Peasant Reserve Zones of the Cimitarra River Valley, Catatumbo and Tuluá, Project Maria Caicedo works towards the transformation of war economies into peace economies.

The project was designed to capture the voice of those left behind (through the years of conflict in Colombia, and by the subsequent efforts to bring peace) and involved in illegal economies in the rural Colombia. This research provided key building blocks in the foundation of peace in Colombia through the transformation of war economies to peace economies in Peasant Reserve Areas (ZRC, by its acronym in Spanish). We  took a systemic approach, which involved the political and economic systems at the local and national levels, seeking to give the most marginalised people a voice and ultimately power to emerge from poverty.

This report gives a summary of the project's findings. For the full report, click here.