Page 25 - 2019 Sustainability Report

Helping Build a Corridor of Cacao
Equipment and technical training provided to local farmers will
significantly increase crop yields and assure consistency of quality across farms. A subsequent capacity development phase will be focused on developing regional cooperatives to leverage the entire cacao value chain. AgroEmprende seeks gender balance in the belief that greater involvement of women in these activities will help encourage future generations to continue these farms. The goal is to benefit 400 families near the areas
of operations.
The six-year program supports the Colombian government’s objective
of crop substitution, replacing illicit coca production with a legal and high-value crop, a major factor in securing long-term post-conflict stability in the region. Cacao is also aligned with sustainable forestry practices, another priority of both GTE and the government. The program
is a partnership between Gran Tierra Energy, Ecopetrol, the Government of Canada and Canadian NGO SOCODEVI.
USD $1.7 Million
has been committed by GTE to AgroEmprende
“Cacao is the most productive crop for me as it is year-round and offers the benefit of having a ready market. I can sell all of my production as soon as it is ready, which is not the case for my other crops. Since it’s working so well, a number of people in Naranjito have asked me how they too can get into the program.”
Carmen, a farmer in La Vereda Naranjito, a small town between Villagarzón and Puerto Asís, is a single mother. Carmen lives with her kids, aged 16 and 26, both of whom help her on their farm.
“Cacao is not new for us, but with this training we can significantly increase our yields and income, making cacao a perfect crop for us.
In our region coca cultivation has disappeared by at least 80%; much of that is because it has been replaced with crops like cacao. If we can finish the job here and then replicate it across the country, the lives of thousands of people could be changed.”
Cesar, pictured with his wife, is a farmer in Puerto Rosario, who maintains a 15-hectare farm about 20 kilometres outside of Puerto Guzmán.
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