Colombia’s government is conducting a more peaceful response to its persistent narcotics crisis by paying farmers to raze coca crops, the drug’s main ingredient, to increase its cocaine production.
The most recent beneficiaries include Nicolas Caicedo and his son Alirio Caicedo. They staking their livelihoods on the persistent demand from organized crime a decade ago by planting coca in their fields.
The Caicedos are currently digging up those same crops, unsure of what lies ahead.
About 4, 000 additional Colombian families have entered agreements with the government to replace coca with cocoa and coffee.
The initiative is a part of a $4.4 million effort to reduce the supply of a substance that is credited with causing the nation unimaginable misery.
Armed groups frequently coerce Colombia’s rural communities into growing the illegal crop, with forests cleared to make way for the illegal crop.
Authorities are aiming to eradicate coca in three of Colombia’s most conflict-ridden regions, including the southwestern Micay Canyon, on 45, 000 hectares (111, 000 acres).
The Caicedos’ transition is a risky one for farmers.
Their new crops will flourish, but there is no guarantee that guerrillas and other armed organizations, whose profits are tied to cocaine, will be peaceful.
The Caicedos say they can expect to make about $800 per month from coca. They have received an initial payment of about $300 to begin growing coffee under the new scheme, with more coming in the near future.
Colombia’s first left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, pledged to end the “war on drugs” that had been the focus of the campaign that was widely associated with the double victimization of rural Colombians who live in the shadow of violence when he took office in 2022.
Colombia, the world’s largest exporter, has since experienced record levels of cocaine production as a result of continued demand in both Europe and the US.
Previous attempts to replace crops have failed, frequently hampered by violent armed groups’ protests and the government’s subsequent drying up.
Gloria Miranda, the head of Colombia’s illegal crop substitution program, rebuffed Gloria’s warning that it would be foolish to accept the new initiative as a “soil” as long as it is “cocaine” remains illegal on the market of 20 million people.
In his efforts to achieve “total peace,” President Petro has prioritized negotiations with armed organizations over military brawl, reversing the coca plant’s eradication.
However, most discussions have failed, and Bogota has been put under more pressure since Donald Trump’s January return to the White House. Colombia’s participation in the anti-drug campaign is being reexamined by the Trump administration, and it has threatened to reduce the amount of military aid provided.
The crop replacement scheme may be abused, according to observers who are concerned about the high stakes.
Some farmers may “try to deceive” by accepting state funding while still growing coca, warned Pablo Daza, the government secretary for Argelia.
The chances are very high that we are wasting money, according to Emilio Archila, who oversaw a similar, ultimately unsuccessful program under former president Ivan Duque.
Miranda insists that “meticulous” satellite monitoring will ensure compliance, promising that anyone found in breach of the program will be kicked out.
Coca is primarily used as a source of cocaine, but its leaves are also used in Andean cultures as stimulants and teas that are thought to treat altitude sickness.
