ASOPATIANOS

Our Mission

To manage access to land before national and international organizations, to implement technical assistance, productivity and marketing of agricultural production and improve the quality of life of the associates, our environment and contribute to a lasting and sustainable peace.

History of ASOPATIANOS

Asociación Agropecuaria y Ambiental Valle del Patía (Asopatianos) is a non-profit organization made up of young members, men and women, seeking opportunities and productive initiatives, reintegration, a cross-cutting gender focus, and social cohesion that allows them a better quality of life in an environment of sustainable and lasting peace in harmony with nature.

The total area is characterized by rural poverty with inadequate housing, deficient basic services, and extreme economic precariousness that depends on day labor on other people’s farms, or employment in distant cities. The area has year-round high temperatures. The climate is muggy with few periods of precipitation. There is limited access to drinking water. Unlike in other areas, there is no aqueduct. In addition, a trend towards desertification has been identified as an environmental issue of national concern.

On the other hand, while remaining an important issue, the armed conflict affects the population due to the confrontation and fighting between the illegal groups themselves and the continuous confrontation with law enforcement. In this area, ex-combatants from the extinct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are sheltered and supported by the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization (ARN) and the WFP, working to build community through social integration activities and associative projects.

Our Members

Asopatianos is made up of 45 members. 19 beneficiaries have actively participated in the Gran Vía Verde Project, due to geographical distances and land scarcity. The ages of Asopatianos beneficiaries range from 23 to 65 years old, and the majority are of African descent.

About Gran Vía Verde Project

Asociación Agropecuaria y Ambiental Valle del Patía (Asopatianos) has a three-year, government-backed loan agreement for a one-hectare (2.47-acre) property, with the possibility of renewal. Gran Vía Verde provided 1,300 new Waterboxx, the necessary planting material (passion fruit, watermelon) for planting and replanting, the construction of a seedling nursery, vegetable seeds and other seeds for the nursery and open space, fertilizers, a tools, wiring for passion fruit cultivation, and ongoing technical assistance. This enabled the beneficiaries to learn how to develop a sustainable agricultural enterprise for approximately 50 families.

The collaboration with SENA (National Learning Service), strategic partner of the project, allowed Asopatianos to develop agricultural capacities focused on strengthening the preparation of organic fertilizers, fungicides, and bio-insecticides based on organic supplies. The theoretical and practical training took place in the field, led by instructors from the SENA Emprende Rural program, and focused on organic fertilizers in regenerative agriculture, specifically a liquid fertilizer known as Alofa. Alofa is an aerobically mineralized, fermented organic liquid fertilizer that contains a source of microorganisms, macro- and micronutrients that stimulate plant productivity, enhancing conventional fertilization practices in an economical and environmentally friendly way.

The supplies required for preparing Alofa were donated by the Gran Vía Verde Project as recognition of the beneficiaries' good work and to support families in acquiring new knowledge that contributes to improving and maintaining ancestral traditions of farming without the need for synthetic chemical products such as insecticides, fungicides, or herbicides.