Additional broll Rebuilding lives, restoring hope in Colombia

The Food and Agriculture Organization, with support from the government of Sweden, is working with Colombia to help devastated communities rebuild their livelihoods and get back on their feet after half a century of conflict.

In 1991, Colombia’s long-running conflict arrived at Robinson Salas’ home. Armed men killed his brother, along with several neighbors, here in the small village of Pertenencia, in the country’s north. The village name means “Belonging.” A place where Salas’ blindness is hardly an obstacle. But on that night, he and his family gave up everything they owned and fled to a nearby town, facing an uncertain future. Salas' neighbor across the valley, Ismael Perez, refused to leave. Despite constant threats on his life, he remained, looking over his crops and tending cattle. During five decades of war, millions of Colombians left their homes to escape executions, kidnappings and land seizures by armed groups. Villages that were once thriving livestock and agricultural centers fell silent. Farms vanished under bush, and markets collapsed into ruin. When the violence finally waned in Pertenencia, many wanting to return found their homes were inhabited by someone else, or lost to the wilderness. The Food and Agriculture Organization, with support from the government of Sweden, is working with Colombia to help devastated communities rebuild their livelihoods and get back on their feet. In Pertenencia, engineers have built large reservoirs to collect water for irrigation and cattle during the dry season, improving yields and incomes of nearby farmers. The project has also provided training and equipment for milk production, raising chickens and planting orchards. But perhaps the biggest step is one the community took on its own. With support from FAO, they established an association of local farmers, who plant together and share profits. The enterprise, named APACAMBI, is repairing much more than a shattered economy. It is also offering women new opportunities. Women members of the association grow vegetables and raise hens to get an extra income — and new confidence.  Motivation and means that are helping broken communities heal and rebound after half a century of conflict. 

0:00 Aerial WS over farms in Pertenencia, Colombia 

0:17 Various shots of farmer Robinson Salas cleaning his crops

1:38 Various shots of Salas riding donkey

2:48 Various shots of farmer Ismael Perez milking his cows

4:12 Perez and his son shucking corn

4:30 Perez family and workers planting crops in field

5:28 Meeting of Apacambi women’s group

5:56 Apacambi women’s group planting and feeding chickens 

6:43 Women’s group member selling produce at market

7:18 Apacambi group planting activity

7:48 Aerial WS of field flying away from Pertenencia

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