FERTILE THINKING
Systemic problems are being addressed in post-conflict Colombia to make sure sustainable agriculture takes root.
Acursory flyover of Colombia's agricultural sector reveals that the Andean nation remains the world's second-largest coffee producer, with 20% of total cultivated land allocated to mild Arabica beans, predominantly for export. Almost 25% of agricultural workers work to provide the world's daily caffeine fix. Yet this cash crop is at risk from climate change and the vagaries of local weather.
While not dwelling on Colombia's lingering illicit yields, suffice to say that the challenge today is to transform the crisis-era's coca crops into something the GDP can appreciate. Yet in the classic irony of an impoverished sector, while the soil cries out for diversification into high-value crops such as cacao, poorer farmers have shunned coffee for less labor intensive, but more profitable livestock and plantains. Colombia also ranks as the world's second-largest exporter of cut flowers after the Netherlands and boasts an industry valued annually at around USD1 billion. To this we may add the export staple of bananas, while sugarcane yields roughly 2 million metric tons annually, primarily for bioethanol production. And then there's rice, maize, cotton, beans, oil palm (biodiesel, too), as well as tobacco and diverse local fruits. In livestock, aside from cattle, Colombia rears guinea pigs and capybaras, chiefly for export, while shrimp farming has potential in a largely undeveloped seafood industry.
Problems
Colombia's agricultural sector delivers some tough numbers that demand attention. According to New Agriculturalist, around 1 million landless rural workers till the soil. Meanwhile, approximately 35% percent of its agricultural land is in use. Massively telling, a recent Oxfam report reveals that today, the main 1% of Colombian farms claim 81% of the land. This inequality explains the incursion of the poor into rainforests and the pursuit of short-term gains over sustainability. Unchecked livestock rearing and contraband crops have eroded much of Colombia's forests, while overuse of pesticide and the mass burning of sugarcane fields is a source of pollution.
Solutions
Here's a choking fact: Forest degradation releases carbon stored in trees into the atmosphere, whereby deforestation accounts for 10-15% of global carbon emissions. Colombia aims at zero net deforestation by 2020 and a full end to the loss of natural forestation by 2030. The state has recently added 8 million ha to protected zones, raising the total to almost 40 million ha, while indigenous tribes are to be empowered to allocate financial resources as they see fit.
Sustainable Agriculture
Norway is poised to extend its emission reduction agreement with Colombia to 2030, wherein it pledges annual payments for the verified meeting of deforestation reduction targets. Colombia stands to bag around USD50 million per year. Welcome sustainability projects have arisen. The so-called “Organic Agriculture Production Chain” bridges various schemes to promote organic farming, as well as state oversight and the private farmer. The Federacíon Orgánicos de Colombia (FOC), a cooperative comprising producers, exporters, logistics businesses, and certification experts, is a key player. Farmers have planted Amazonian cayenne pepper in place of coca crops, having met the FOC's 40% replacement goal in 2016. Elsewhere, cutting-edge sensors have been deployed since 2016 to maximize banana yield by monitoring vital environmental variables. And elsewhere still, a novel five-year agro-forestry project has been promoting the planting of trees with food crops to commercially improve soil quality. Historically, Colombia has allocated roughly 80% of agricultural land to grazing cattle, which has degraded soil quality. This project works to reverse land erosion from overgrazing.
The potential is there for post-conflict Colombia to generate a vibrant agricultural industry that makes use of improved land quality and management, as well as export products that make use of its plentiful water resources.
FERTILE THINKING
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Guest Speaker
François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, Canada
TBY talks to François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade of Canada, on making globalization work for all Colombians and Canadians, supporting the environment and mutually progressive causes, and increasing technological and educational ties.
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Juan Gabriel Pérez, Executive Director, Invest in Bogotá
TBY talks to Juan Gabriel Pérez, Executive Director of Invest in Bogotá, on rounding a turning point, the opportunities for foreign investment in infrastructural PPPs, and finding the perfect investors for adding value on a local scale.
read articleInterview
Patricia Tovar, Executive Director, Colombian British Chamber of Commerce (Britcham)
TBY talks to Patricia Tovar, Executive Director of Colombian British Chamber of Commerce (Britcham), on finding new strategies in trying times, supporting Colombians investing in the UK, and the rising importance of ecotourism.
read articleInterview
Orlando Velandia Sepúlveda, President, Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos (ANH)
TBY talks to Orlando Velandia Sepúlveda, President of Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos (ANH), on Tax Refund Certificates, developing pedagogical programs, and the Territorial Strategy of Hydrocarbons.
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Diego León Vélez Velásquez, General Manager, Ingeniería y Gestión Administrativa (IGGA)
TBY talks to Diego León Vélez Velásquez, General Manager of Ingeniería y Gestión Administrativa (IGGA), on predial management, virtual technical file, and working with different economic models.
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Iván Herrera, Vice President , Business Solutions and Government of Huawei Colombia
TBY talks to Iván Herrera, Vice President of Business Solutions and Government of Huawei Colombia, and Cao Wei, Country Manager of Consumer Business Group of Huawei Colombia, on their growth plans for the country.
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Carlos Alberto García Montes, General Director, National Institute of Roads (INVIAS)
TBY talks to Carlos Alberto García Montes, General Director of the National Institute of Roads (INVIAS), on developing Colombia's road networks, linking intermodal transport, and establishing private partnerships.
read articleInterview
María del Carmen Araujo Grijalva, Executive President, Hidalgo e Hidalgo (HeH) Colombia
TBY talks to María del Carmen Araujo Grijalva, Executive President of Hidalgo e Hidalgo (HeH) Colombia, on contributing to productivity and growth in Colombia, working closely with local communities, and areas of opportunity.
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Santiago José Castro Agudelo, Rector, Universidad La Gran Colombia
TBY talks to Santiago José Castro Agudelo, Rector of Universidad La Gran Colombia, on providing first-rate affordable education, constantly innovating whilst remaining true to one's values, and changing Colombia's risk-adverse culture.
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Andres Hernandez, General Manager, Mareauto Colombia S.A.S,
TBY talks to Andres Hernandez, General Manager of Mareauto Colombia S.A.S, AVIS Colombia, on outgrowing the market by legions, providing customers with an unforgettable experience, and offering a timeless premium service.
read articleReview
City of Gold
Colombia's regulatory policies are generally regarded as welcoming to foreign investment, as seen by the World Bank's 2018 Doing Business report, which ranked the country's business environment 59th globally. Chief among the country's appeal to foreign investors are its stable political and economic system, rich natural resources, and geographically important location at the crossroads of two oceans and continents.
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