Illicit Crops and Alternative Development in Colombia

Introduction

Anders Rudqvist

Colombia • the world’s largest producer of cocaine

• the largest heroin producer in the American hemisphere

• Coca and poppy cultivation is taking place in regions or areas where presence of the State (army, public institutions) is weak (physically, politically and socially)

Main actors

• Direct producers – small-scale and medium peasants – ”industrial” producers

• Criminal cartels – from a few large to many small

• Paramilitary groups – extreme right wing

• Guerrillas – FARC, ELN

• Army and Police forces

The main actors in the Colombian

narcotics circuit varyingly described as • a national political project• an army attempting to take over power • a territorial power • an actor in the local conflicts of the ”Other

Colombia”• a way of life - rent seekers - groups of

criminals • actor in context of local degenerated violence

Territorial control

• Illicit crop cultivation and drug trafficking require territorial control

• production and trafficking, as well as the very armed conflict are focused upon territorial control

• have resulted in drastically increasing indices of land concentration

Demand and Supply side

• What are consumer countries doing?

• Terms and conditions of international trade

• Subsidized exports of agricultural produce

• Prevention, treatment and care for drug addicts and consumers at risk

• What are producer countries doing?

• Social, economic conditions of peasant producers - land tenure/reforms

• Measures against political and economic corruption

Policies for reduction of illicit crops and drug trafficking

• The US and the Colombian government:

• Repression/interdiction combined with aerial fumigation and compulsory alternative development programs

• The UN and EU: interdiction combined with voluntary alternative development programs – opposed to aerial fumigation

Common features and patterns Colombia Afghanistan Laos

• Societies torn by internal warfare• Role of illicit crops and trafficking for war

efforts• Weak central State vs. strong local/regional

forces• Sociological factors - livelihoods approach• What have we learned from evolution of

IDPs and regional development projects?