Colombia, Part II: Meta cacao: a new way of life after FARC

This article is a story of survival more than cacao. This cocoa story emanates from the department of Meta, in the geographic heart of Colombia. By the mid-1960's, Meta had become a stronghold for the Marxist, left-wing guerilla organization known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Life for the residents of Meta communities was complicated and dangerous. Fortunately, that situation is now changing. The introduction to the history of Los Llanos happened in the offices of Colombia Responde, a USAID-funded initiative headquartered in Villavicencio. Following 50 years of FARC presence and government neglect, political divisions in the region run deep. The goal of the Responde pilot program is to act as a transitioning presence to help consolidation and unification in areas of social and economic development as well as governance, infrastructure and land restitution. For many years, there were no organizations to assist. Now there are many to aid with legal and administrative issues. To date, 661 cocoa-growing families benefit from such support.