Those of us working with smallholder farmers in Colombia have experienced their proud and passionate narratives about planting, growing and
harvesting their crops. Only when we ask about selling them do their faces become grim, most of them answering something like: “Ay si la
comercialización, esto si es complicado” (“Commercialisation is complicated”). They confirm what a widely known problem is in Colombia and other parts of the world: Getting to market is difficult for smallholder farmers.

There exist several entry points to tackle this problem. External forces such as political conflicts, poor infrastructure and poor land rights play an
important role but are unlikely to be changed by farmers in the short term. Therefore it is important to strengthen the farmers’ business capacities
so they are able to tackle the problems and limitations that are under their direct control and become stronger to face external forces...Read More