Over the years, life has been complicated for the residents of the tiny community of Cedro, in Colombia’s Pacific department of Chocó. Their region has been battered by destructive floods, illegal crop cultivation and waves of armed conflict, sometimes forcing them to flee their homes or leaving them without means of subsistence.
In recent decades, the violence has left millions of Colombians internally displaced. A peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2016 marked a significant watershed. Yet six years on, in the historically conflict-affected provinces, violence and displacement have continued, leaving 7.35 million people in the country still in need of food security assistance.
But at least for the villagers of Cedro, daily life recently has had a calmer and more normal feel to it. "Today the children keep an eye on the chickens. When the hen clucks, they go and collect eggs; when the sun rises, the women go and collect their vegetables. We save money because we have the crops right here; we don't need to buy onions or tomatoes," says Edgar Mosquera, one of the community leaders.
He has supported the implementation of a project by FAO and the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help provide for the villagers’ food and livelihood needs and get them on a path back to normal life. In this settlement founded 20 years ago, the 11 families who reside there have known each other all their lives. Edgar says it has been relatively easy to meet the varying needs of community members. “We are very united; what we say is approved by all of us and that is why we work very well,” he emphasizes.
Cedro is just one of 37 communities, comprising 1 161 families (5 805 people in total) in Chocó and the department of Nariño to have received the FAO/CERF support. The assistance focused on rapidly re-establishing production of basic crops essential to their food and nutritional security and a pathway to peaceful, legitimate livelihoods.
That was done by setting up 23 demonstration training centres, as well as vegetable gardens and family livestock production systems focused on poultry, fish and guinea pigs, with weekly training sessions on practices to minimize food loss and waste, reduce risk to disasters and adapt to climate change. In some of the project areas, the activities were carried out directly by FAO and in others, it had the support of the implementing partner, Corporación Integral para el Desarrollo Comunitario Corpocaminar.