Colombia moves forward in the implementation of the Produce, Preserve and Include Compacts in three states

The IDH team from Colombia and the CREER Foundation have held face-to-face workshops to agree with local representatives on the goals and indicators of the PPI Compacts (Produce, Preserve and Include) for the states of Magdalena, Cesar and Huila. Following the biosafety protocols of each region, the workshops brought together players from private, public and civil organizations, who were given the opportunity to prioritize goals and propose monitoring metrics and indicators. At the end, the team consolidated and validated the information that will guide the implementation of the goals of the compacts in the coming months.

The discussions focused on issues such as increasing and maintaining the productivity of the main commodities in the region, strengthening and complementing technical assistance with education and innovation programs, water management and inclusive strategies for small-scale farmers (diversification, education, access to credit, gender strategies).

According to Orlando Escobar, leader of cocoa growers in Huila, the goals and indicators discussed during the workshops bring together the interests and visions of all stakeholders in the state around a truly sustainable development in the region. “Exercises like these, that jointly validate a vision of territory, are important for the involvement and empowerment of local, regional and national stakeholders,” said Escobar.

Over the coming weeks, the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) for each Compact should be signed, and this will initiate the "Post Compact" implementation phase with the definition of the governance and monitoring process and an action plan.

AgroColombia Initiative Board assesses progress in implementing PPI Compacts

The Board of the Agrocolombia Productiva Y Sostenible Initiative, led by IDH, met in July with the aim of evaluating the progress of the activities, especially the development of the PPI Compacts and discussing how to engage them in the SourceUp platform.

“We hope these three compacts will be examples of sustainable sourcing in Colombia and can be replicated in other states,” said Mathew Spencer, IDH Global Landscapes Director, recognizing the importance of member engagement in this process.

The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Daniel Arboleda, reinforced his support to the Initiative for the achievement of sustainability goals in Colombia's agricultural industry. “Thanks to this collaboration of important private and public stakeholders we are managing to move forward on areas of action such as environmental sustainability, economic opportunities and food security,” he emphasized.

The SourceUp platform was presented by Antonio Roade, who explained the link between the Compacts and global markets through this tool, which makes sustainability commitments visible in production chains, in addition to supporting fundraising and additional investment from different stakeholders.

The meeting participants said that SourceUp will be an opportunity to showcase the efforts of each region, thereby boosting the work of AgroColombia.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from: Alqueria, Nestlé, Alpina, ProColombia, Ministry of Environment, TNC, Corpohass, Fedepalma, Bayer, Casa Luker and the Colombian Farmers Association. To learn more about the Agrocolombia Productiva Y Sostenible Initiative, please click here.