Living with the campesinos

Monday and Tuesday of week two our group went off to Buga and Restrepo, to the north of Cali, to learn about different projects in social responsibility that Javeriana University is involved in. First, we visited the Fundacion Instituto Mayor Campesino (IMCA). This organization is working with a number of partners to help local communities conserve biodiversity. To my understanding (with the little Spanish I have so far), the organization provides education and opportunities for exchange of knowledge, experience, as well as seeds and other local genetic resources, aka plants, animals.
After seeing the IMCA site, we were off to Restrepo, where our group of Colombian and N.American professors was divided in 4 groups. Each group was hosted by a different campesino family in the areas and learned about the organic and sustainable farming methods farmers are using. The group I was in consisted of 9 people. All of us (and our luggage) got loaded on a Jeep, and off we went to our assigned finca, which was a (mainly) tomato farm. The rest of the afternoon was peaceful, the evening – full of hearty food and friendship.

In the morning our hosts let us sleep in, I think. We all finally got up and had breakfast around 8.30. then we wanted to experience life on the finca and our hosts took us to the vegetable garden where we helped by removing the invasive plants. That did not last long, I actually think we spent more time getting ready than work. After a generous lunch, we went to visit with a neighbor family that was working on the finca. The kids were home and took us through the open kitchen, to show us a little garden with beens and herbs they had. We also saw where they made clay/ mud bricks. Very humble, wonderfully welcoming people. As the two kids were posing for me to take a photo many thoughts were rushing through - why are the children not at school, is it safe for them to be alone while their parents are working hard in the neighboring farm, do they get access to basic health care and screening (because the nearest town was at least 15 min drive), and so on.



On the way back I was talking to (trying to would be more accurate as it was in Spanish) Luisa, and reflecting on the resilience and fortitude people here demonstrated. I tried not to cry (at the face of my glaring privilege and inability to help) but be inspired by what this community has achieved despite the circumstances (in Colombia, because of the years of ongoing violence, many farmers are forced by poverty, paramilitaries, druglords, and big international companies to grow crops like coca, which is more profitable than the traditional crops; as a result, the traditional crops are replaced or lost, which leads to even more poverty and devastation to the environment; this community, like a few others in the area, are participating in a project that encourages sustainable farming; more power to them!)

[Spanish] Word of the day: Se puede!