Strengthening regional supply chains for agricultural transformation in Colombia

Over the last 2 decades, Colombia has gained valuable experience in supporting agricultural supply chains. The government views this approach primarily as a means of achieving agricultural transformation, and to this end the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR, its Spanish acronym) has designed a set of innovative policies. Under these policies, regional committees plan and implement development initiatives in collaboration with the local public and private sectors. While achieving several notable successes, the committees have also come up against various challenges: boosting operational funds; developing stronger relationships with regional governments, private actors, and support systems; strengthening small-scale producer organizations; and, above all, creating a long-term regional vision for supply-chain development. Colombia must meet these challenges effectively if its public policies are to achieve the desired effect of enhancing agricultural productivity

Cadenas productivas Colombianas: cómo la política pública transforma la agricultura

Las políticas de desarrollo rural han evolucionado considerablemente en América Latina. Durante los últimos 15 años, una de las principales áreas de énfasis ha sido el desarrollo de iniciativas que promuevan la formación de cadenas productivas en el sector agrícola en torno a unos productos estratégicos, los cuales generan economías rurales mucho más competitivas. En Colombia, el enfoque es novedoso, ya que se centra en el establecimiento de organizaciones de cadenas en el ámbito nacional y regional. Como lo demuestra un análisis hecho por el equipo de Vinculación de los Agricultores a los Mercados del Área de Investigación en Análisis de Políticas (DAPA, por sus siglas en inglés) del CIAT, gracias al apoyo de la Fundación Ford Región Andina y Cono Sur, esta estrategia tiene un enorme potencial competitivo en el sector agrícola; solo si se consigue una focalización geográfica adecuada y se fortalece su capacidad de gobernanza

Políticas que cierran brechas entre lo urbano y lo rural en Colombia

Los procesos de urbanización acelerados plantean retos sin precedentes en términos de producción y seguridad alimentaria, entre otros. En Colombia, abordar las extensas implicaciones de este fenómeno requiere de esfuerzos en el ámbito público que desarrollen aún más el sector agrícola y, por lo tanto, conduzcan al país hacia un sendero de crecimiento sostenible e inclusivo socialmente. El éxito dependerá en parte de acciones políticas orientadas a reducir la división socio-económica entre las zonas urbanas y rurales. Por ejemplo, las iniciativas deberán estimular factores determinantes claves de desarrollo humano en las zonas rurales, promoviendo el acceso a la tierra, mejorando la administración pública municipal y cerrando la brecha de género, entre otros

Three essays on conflict and climate effects in Colombia

In Colombia, it is a common refrain that there is not a single family unaffected by the conflict that marked the country for over half a century. During 2016, with the peace agreement that ended 60 years of fighting with the FARC, the country entered into a postconflict phase. This thesis provides empirical evidence to inform policies designed to foster rural development (especially in places where the livelihoods have been damaged by conflict), protect the environment, and promote sustainable growth in a context of increasing extreme global weather events. In particular, the work is comprised of three empirical essays examining respectively the impact of conflict on (i) agribusiness durations, (ii) deforestation, and (iii) selected crime outcomes. The first essay provides an analysis on agribusiness contract durations, defined as the survival of contractual partnerships between smallholder producer organizations and their commercial buyers, and their relationship with specific manifestations of violence. There is evidence that the presence of violence increases the hazard rate of agribusiness contract commercial failure. In particular, the presence of terrorist events at the start year of the agribusiness contracts registers as the main determinant. In particular, when violent incidents vary over time, the subversive actions, mainly provoked by the guerrillas, emerge as a cause of commercial failure. The second empirical essay offers evidence on the relationship between armed conflict and its environmental impact. There is evidence that the armed conflict is a force for forest protection and growth, though the effect is found to be small. Forest degradation often increases in post-conflict situations. These findings highlight a need for increased protection of Colombia’s forests in the wake of the peace agreement. The third empirical essay investigates the impact of the most recent extreme weather event in Colombia, “La Niña” (between 2010-2011 and named by the local media as the “winter wave”) on theft rates in the municipalities affected. This essay demonstrates that the winter wave brought a decrease in theft from persons. This is perhaps attributable to the emergence of pro-social behaviour in the municipalities most affected. We also find an increase in theft from houses possibly linked to a ‘survival mechanism’. In addition, we also reveal that the presence of conflict discourages theft perhaps due to the establishment of coercive institutions by illegal armed groups

Colombian supply chains: how public policy shapes agriculture

Over the last 15 years, public policies for rural development in Latin America have evolved significantly. One strategy that has been increasingly incorporated into national agendas involves the strengthening of agricultural supply chains through public sector initiatives, policies, and incentives. With the aim of promoting a competitive rural economy in an increasingly globalized world, Colombia has developed an innovative policy approach that focuses on the development of supply chain organizations at the regional level. This strategy has enormous competitive potential when it is well targeted and has strong institutional support, as evidenced by the Ford Foundation-funded study reported here

Policies for bridging the urban–rural gap in Colombia

Rapid urbanization presents unprecedented challenges for Colombia’s agricultural production and food security. To address the extensive implications of this demographic shift, public efforts should be undertaken to strengthen the agricultural sector and set the country on a path toward sustainable growth. The success of those efforts will depend on their ability to narrow the socio-economic divide between urban and rural areas. Toward this end, public policy initiatives will need to stimulate key drivers of human development in rural areas by promoting access to land, improving public administration, and closing the gender gap

Variaciones en torno al escalafón de competitividad departamental en Colombia

Incluye BibliografíaEste texto presenta un análisis de los activos estructurales regionales y su relación con el nivel de competitividad. En especial, se consideran tres tipos de estructuras, fuentes de ventajas competitivas: a) los requerimientos básicos de desarrollo; b) los elementos y dinámicas de la modernidad; y c) el grado de aglomeración. El capital básico hace referencia al cúmulo de capital de la estructura regional que permite soportar el proceso de desarrollo; la modernidad identifica elementos impulsores de nuevos desarrollos, como el conocimiento experto, la innovación, la conectividad y la especialización productiva y comercial; y la aglomeración establece el grado de concentraciones productivas y demográficas, fuente de externalidades positivas para el desarroll

Alianzas productivas: un instrumento efectivo de inclusión productiva, versátil ante diferentes condiciones de vulnerabilidad y contextos regionales

En Colombia, el desarrollo rural requiere de una institucionalidad que contribuya a cerrar la brecha urbano-rural, que cuente con los instrumentos de política necesarios para la inclusión productiva y la promoción de una asociatividad orientada a una ruralidad competitiva. Los 12 años de experiencia de la implementación del Proyecto de Apoyo para las Alianzas Productivas (PAAP) del Ministerio de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (MADR) aportan lecciones en esta dirección. Así lo evidencian los resultados de un reciente estudio realizado por el equipo Vinculación de los Agricultores a los Mercados del Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), con el apoyo financiero de la Fundación Ford. El estudio no solamente considera a los instrumentos de política que retoman los aciertos e innovaciones de este modelo, sino también propone ajustes necesarios para potenciar su efecto como plataforma de integración con otros instrumentos para construir escenarios de paz desde el desarrollo regional

Productive Partnerships: An effective instrument for the inclusion of vulnerable population groups in diverse contexts of Colombia

In Colombia, rural development requires institutional frameworks that help to reduce the current rural-urban divide. Policy instruments that promote productivity improvements, inclusion, and collective action focused on strengthening rural competitiveness are crucial. Twelve years of experience gained from the implementation of the Rural Productive Partnerships Project (PAAP), run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) with support from the World Bank, provides useful lessons in this regard. The importance of these lessons learned is highlighted by the results of a recent study of the Linking Farmers to Markets team of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), funded by the Ford Foundation. This study not only provides an overview of the positive innovative aspects of PAAP, but also proposes necessary adjustments to increase its impact