The Colombia of the mind is not a place where many see fit to venture. There's too much violence there; murder and kidnapping rates are easily the highest in the world, the number of displaced people in Colombia (2-3 million, from UNHCR figures) is second only to Sudan. Then there's all the other drug-related crime; central authority is notoriously weak, and any number of drug barons, paramilitary and rebel groups from both ends of the political spectrum control large tracts of the countryside.

In recent times the safety situation for travellers has improved greatly following government crackdowns, and for the moment at least the Colombian Coffee Federation can, with confidence, invite western buyers to visit.

This security improvement is a very positive development for fair traders, who can now start to build relationships with co-operatives in some of the traditionally more volatile regions of the country.

In the southern regions of Colombia, two factors working in tandem have placed a great strain on farming communities; firstly, plots are small by national standards, and family incomes are therefore comparatively low. The Colombian Coffee Federation state that 60% of all coffee growers in the Cauca region live in poverty and that only 30% of them are literate. Secondly, the same growing conditions that suit coffee production also favour the two comparatively well-rewarded illicit crops (coca and opium) that are at the root of so many of the recurring problems in the region. Not only do drug traffickers pose a threat to growers, but aerial sprayings of Roundup authorised under Plan Colombia have destroyed not only coca and poppies but also many other crops grown in the region.

Among these very small-scale coffee farmers few could claim to be more disadvantaged than those from among the 27 indigenous communities scattered throughout the highlands, who have also struggled over many years to achieve the land ownership reform which would better enable them to protect and nurture their traditional ways of life in semi-autonomous reserves (territorios).

This greater autonomy is now becoming a reality for indigenous Colombians, and their focus is clear; to remain strong together, and to live in peace, they recognise the importance of securing sufficient additional income from their current crops – in particular, from coffee – in order to become more food secure, to prevent illicit crops from being planted, and to keep traffickers out of their reserves.

I was recently able to visit a number of indigenous coffee-growing communities in southern Colombia and at a gathering of leaders of the CENCOIC co-operative at Maria Piendamo, in the Cauca region, I became more acutely aware both of the extent of these challenges and also of the significance of the role that fair trade can play in helping these growers to address their needs and thus to secure the future of their communities. In a cordial meeting, numerous speakers from the local Guambiano, Nasa, and Kokonuko communities all stressed the value they place on building stronger relationships with fair trade buyers and of the importance for the group in being able to market their coffee collectively. I left the meeting with a strong desire for Trade Aid to find a market in New Zealand for their coffee.

Back in New Zealand, I confirmed our first order with the group, and our initial container of CENCOIC is just now arriving in Christchurch. A second container is already on order, and as long as New Zealand roasters find this coffee to be sufficiently to their liking we expect to be able to support the communities who together make up CENCOIC to better realise some of their many dreams – and to live in peace.

Not only do drug traffickers pose a threat to growers, but aerial sprayings of Roundup authorised under Plan Colombia have destroyed not only coca and poppies but also many other crops grown in the region

I became more acutely aware both of the extent of these challenges and also of the significance of the role that fair trade can play in helping these growers to address their needs and thus to secure the future of their communities







interested in visiting Colombia with Trade Aid in May 2007?