Empowering Small-Scale Farmers in Colombia

Project Progress Report - Empowering Small-Scale

Farmers in Colombia

1. Context of the Intervention

In the department of Boyacá, the campesino associations Tierra Digna and El Convite

Campesino have been developing agroecological transition processes focused on food

sovereignty, ecosystem care, agrotourism, and fair commercialization for several years.

However, one of the main limitations for consolidating these processes has been the lack of

infrastructure for local seedling production.

Currently, the associations depend on the purchase of external seedlings, mainly from Bogotá,

which implies higher costs, frequent travel, and dependence on suppliers that do not always

work under agroecological principles. This situation complicates planting planning and affects

the economic and organizational sustainability of the associations.

This problem fits within a broader rural context: according to the National Agricultural Census

(DANE, 2014), more than 60% of production units in Boyacá depend on external inputs, and

only 20% have covered infrastructure, limiting their productive autonomy and resilience to

climate variability.

For over four years, Proyectar Sin Fronteras Foundation (PSF) has supported these

organizations in technical training, participatory certification (SPG), and strengthening short

commercialization circuits. Based on this trust and joint work, this project was developed with

the goal of strengthening autonomous agroecological seedling production through the

installation of three greenhouses and training of those responsible for their management.

2. Impacted Beneficiaries

Direct beneficiaries:

•2 campesino associations: Tierra Digna and El Convite Campesino.

•71 farmers (52 women, 21 young women, 19 men, and 8 young men).

Indirect beneficiaries:

•Approximately 300 people, including family members of farmers and consumers, who

will benefit from strengthened agroecological processes, access to healthy food, and

revitalized local economies.

3. Progress and Activities Completed

Thanks to the support from donors and the collaborative work with the campesino associations,

the project has made the following progress:•Total materials purchased: All materials necessary for the construction and equipping

of the three greenhouses have been acquired.

•Greenhouse construction:

oTwo greenhouses have been fully constructed, with the participation of the

beneficiary communities.

oThe third greenhouse is in the final stages of construction and is expected to be

completed and operational by January.

•Participatory process: The technical validation of the diagnosis, design, and

construction has been carried out in a participatory manner, strengthening the

community's ownership of the infrastructure.

In the coming weeks, work will continue on completing the third greenhouse and implementing

technical training workshops.

4. Sustainability of the Project

The project's sustainability is supported by already consolidated organizational and productive

processes. The greenhouses will be directly managed by the campesino associations and will

serve existing production systems.

The training will ensure that the responsible farmers acquire the technical knowledge needed

to manage the agroecological greenhouses.

PSF will continue to support the organizations beyond the project duration, guaranteeing

follow-up, ownership, and continuity of the process.

• Report_Empowering_SmallScale_Farmers_in_Colombia.pdf (PDF)