the consequences of the war on drugs in colombia

“I am not proud of cultivating coca. But here in the region we have no alternatives.“ Nano is one of many coca cultivators in the south of Colombia. He and his wife and three children live in a small coca producing village in the pacific department of Nariño, the number one coca crop producer.

Since the peace treaty between the FARC rebels and the government was signed in 2016, Colombia is producing more cocaine than ever before. Only in 2016 Nariño saw a 52% increase in 2016. As partof the peace agreement a new voluntary eradication and crop substitution program began; however, its implementation has been difficult. The coca farmers say that there are no alternatives to the illegal cultivation anddue to the high level of corruption,the promised financial support in order to subsitute are only words that are never put into action.

Meanwhile, cocaine consumption in the US is rising. As the US is financing a big part of the anti-drug war, which includes forced eradication, they are putting pressure on the Colombian government; blaming them for not meeting its anti-narcotic requirements. In October 2017 farmers were protesting against the forced eradication of their coca fields in Nariño, when the local security forces opened fire against them and killed 12 civilians.

As long as the Colombian government doesn’t provide any sustainable economic alternatives and it’s a lucrative business for all involved parties, the cultivation of coca will continue. “The government has come many times, saying they would offer us support within a substitution program. But these are only words. Here at the river nothing changes“, says Nano.

Coca fields close to the Rio Chagui financed by the FARC disident groups. "These are the groups who are giving the money for the coca cultivation now", says one of the local coca farmers. Until 2016, the FARC controlled 70% of the coca crops, most of it in the south of Colombia. Now new uprising armed groups such as the ELN – the last major rebel organization, paramilitary groups of the AGC and dissident FARC members are taking over the business. According to a Amnesty International report published in 2017 about the human rights situation in Colombia, violence continues in many areas of the country.

Nano, 31, with his wife and 3 children. Nano has been working in the coca process since he is a child. He started cultivating coca 9 years ago. "I don´t want my children to depend on the coca as I do. But for now the coca allows me to send them to school and hopefullty have a better future".

Harvest workers are picking coca leaves in one of the plantations close to Yanovi. They earn aprox. 2$ per hour and make up to aprox. 50-60kg a day. After the harvest, they bring the leaves to the labor, where they are processed.

Harvest workers in the laboratory, where the coca leaves are weighed and later processed.

A worker is resting after a day of picking coca leaves in the laboratory, where the harvest is weighed. The workers collect up to 50kg of coca leaves a day.

After the harvest, the coca leaves are being spread to dry for two days before they are being processed for the cocaine paste.

The owner of the coca fields counts the working hours of today's harvest in the laboratory where the coca leaves are processed.

Habitants of a small village at the Rio Chagui. 19 of the 20 families living here cultivate coca or earn their livelihood with harvesting. The region is controlled by dissident groups, former FARC rebels, which are in disput with ELN and other armed groups.

Abandonded school building in Yanovi. Many people have left Yanovi in the last years, as it´s every time more difficult to survive with the cultivation of legal crops.

Locals are preparing the cocaine base paste. After being dried, the coca leaves are cut and mixed with gasoline.

The chopped coca leaves before mixed with gasoline.

Cocaine paste which will be sold for 1.600.000 COP per kg.

Nano ,31, with his wife and youngest son. „I am not proud of cultivating coca. But here in the region we don’t have any other opportunity. I do it so I can provide for my three children. If the government would offer us real alternatives, of course we would quit it. They promise so much, but we don’t see anything". Project on ilegal coca cultivation in Colombia.

Inside the house of one of the villagers.

Nano’s children play at their house.

Exequiel, 62. He is one of many coca cultivators of the region. His plantations were fumigated by the police in December 2017 destroying all his coca plants. "Everything got burned by the fumigation. Now I have to start again. I don´t have anything left."