Better life: In Colombia's Orinoquía, women are leading the way to bring about inclusive rural transformation

Situated in the Orinoquía region of Colombia, the Meta department has abundant water resources and vast biodiversity. This is in one of the country’s primary agricultural hubs, and drives Colombia’s agro-industrial, commercial, and ecotourism sectors. Additionally, it serves as a significant agricultural reservoir, dispatching approximately 9,000 tonnes of agricultural and livestock products daily to other parts of the country.

However, out of the two million hectares available for farming, only 520,363 hectares are cultivated. That’s just 22% of the potential area. Furthermore, the food system's dynamics are flawed: most of the produce isn't consumed locally but is instead sent to different regions of Colombia through a complex network of middlemen.

Felicita Valderrama, a farmer and victim of the armed conflict, who came to Meta in search of better opportunities after being displaced, expressed the harsh realities of this system.

 "The hardest thing for us farmers is that we have to take it to the middleman, because we suffer a lot to produce. You work and work every day, and when the time comes to harvest the crop, you go to offer it, and they pay you very little. That is disheartening."

It is in this context that the Meta Food Supply Network (La Red Meta) was born. This innovative initiative led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the public-private company Ecopetrol, was initially conceived to develop effective commercial strategies and actions aimed at strengthening associations and enhancing technical capabilities.

What makes this initiative particularly noteworthy is that it empowered women and youth in the region, improving the quality of life for farming families. The Meta Network fosters inclusive economic growth, reduces inequalities, and streamlines the entire production chain, bringing together various stakeholders from supply, demand, logistics, and public and private entities, all in collaboration with local governments.

 Sulma Díaz, a pineapple producer who also aids in marketing other products for the Network, explains, "The exercise of the Meta Network is to teach organizations to collaborate as a team. The aim is to penetrate a local market that is quite intricate. Simply having one product makes things challenging, but now we offer a range of products, making us more appealing to traders and the end consumer.”

During its first phase (2019-2022), we saw the initiative bring together 500 small to medium-sized producers from 21 organizations and 15 family entrepreneurship clusters. These figures become even more significant when considering the territory where it was implemented: 70 villages across four municipalities of Meta, including Villavicencio, Acacías, Guamal, and Castilla la Nueva.

Women at the forefront
Crucially, women farmers from the plains have led this transformation since the creation of the Network. Their participation is not only reflected in the figures, but also in the positions they hold throughout the process. In fact, the strengthening of the social fabric with a differential approach is evidenced by the fact that 49% of the participants in the model are women, as well as 100% of the board of directors of the Meta Network.

Fernanda Gómez, a young woman from the countryside, selling bananas to support her family and her career, told us how this project has helped with women’s empowerment.

"Machismo is very stigmatized, women have always done great projects. Right now, we are giving people something to talk about with the Meta Network because we are brave, fighters, forward-looking, eager to work, and we are not afraid of anything,” she said.

The women involved have also embraced digital literacy particularly for marketing, so that they can establish digital marketing channels in an increasingly online marketplace. This was designed for the organizations and businesses of the Meta Network.

This initiative has also included both youth and adults.

Sergio León lost a leg due to an accident in his childhood. But he doesn’t let his physical disability get in the way of his aspirations as a student, merchant, and chicken producer. "At least in my association, many of us have disabilities, but we also have numerous young members. Initiatives like the Meta Network play a crucial role in realizing that the real limitations are in our minds,” he said.

FAO’s role
FAO focuses on working with communities and providing a multidimensional approach that allows participants to make comprehensive progress. This project was no different

In order to contribute to the development of rural competitiveness, our teams carried out training activities and delivered infrastructure to improve harvesting, post-harvesting and processing operations with sanitary permits, while promoting agroecological practices.

At the conclusion of the first phase we also saw 20 commercial agreements  between public and private entities and 60 farmers' markets, in collaboration with local governments.

Graciela Rojas, a passion fruit producer has been able to sell to public entities through this model.

"Being part of the Meta Network, for us as an organization, is a great learning experience and it is very satisfying that state entities buy our products, which means that organizations have to comply with regulations, demand more of ourselves and gain confidence," he said.

A second phase was initiated in 2023 that will emphasize agro-industrial development and plans to increase the number of participating farming families to 3,000.

This project is promoting inclusive economic growth by reducing inequalities between the poorest and non-poor, urban and rural areas, between men and women and thus encapsulates the principle of better life under FAO’s Strategic Framework.