Country overview
Colombia is the world’s second-most biodiverse country, and home to a striking variety of landscapes, climates and soil types. With over 48 million people, the country is also characterised by great disparities of wealth between urban and rural populations. Some 27% of its land mass (almost 32 million hectares) is devoted to extensive cattle ranching, while only 7% is used by other forms of agriculture (when the ideal use of its soil types would suggest the reverse). Agriculture accounted for 6.3% of GDP and 19% of the country’s exports in 2017. The value produced per hectare of cultivated land is less than one-third of that produced by OECD countries. High rates of informality and inequality persist: smallholders represent 65% of the population and hold less than 2% of the land, while large landowners own 65% of the land and represent just 1% of the population.
Productivity rates among farmers and forestry workers are the lowest among all national industries. Colombia also has one of the highest rates of agrochemical use in Latin America, although this has not led to overall increases in agricultural production. While deforestation has risen significantly – nearly 198,000 hectares of forest were lost in 2018 – national plans to reduce deforestation and promote restoration are in place. Meanwhile, 50% of Colombia’s national territory is marine, and the national government has declared its ambition to improve marine governance, ensure better fisheries management and raise the consumption of marine protein.
Approximately one-third of all food intended for human consumption in Colombia is lost or wasted between the farm and the fork each year. This equates to nearly $5.4 billion in economic losses, at a time when more than half of Colombian households do not have enough food to live a healthy and active life. At the same time, rates of malnutrition and obesity cost the state at least $1.5 billion a year in lost economic activity.
Learn more about Colombia: Read our global report or the Colombia country pages.
Watch FOLU Colombia present at the ECOSOC 2020 High Level Segment, Visions and scenarios for the future of the SDGs following the COVID-19 crisis, here.
Learn about FOLU Colombia’s work on sustainable avocado and tomato cultivation through a series of infographics (in Spanish/En Espanol)
Infografías Cundinamarca Tomate horizontal
Infografías Boyacá Tomate horizontal
FOLU in Colombia
The Food and Land Use Coalition in Colombia is a vibrant national platform, comprising over 100 actors from national and local government, the private sector and civil society. FOLU Colombia has initiated a number of action coalitions, including the sustainable use of pesticides and fertilizers, the promotion of jurisdictional approaches to better food and land use in two regions (Quindío and Urabá), the measurement of food loss and waste, supporting healthy school diets and action on the ocean. The Coalition is also working with partners to pursue behavioral change and more effective communications, as well as in a series of value chains – including milk, meat and cocoa – to bring about more sustainable outcomes. Across these areas, FOLU brokers strategic alliances between universities, governments, civil society organisations and the private sector. Finally, FOLU is also developing long-term pathways for sustainable food and land use systems in Colombia through the work of the FABLE Consortium, led by FABLE member the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.
FABLE in Colombia
Participating institution: Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ)
Team members: Juan Benavides (PUJ), John Chavarro (PUJ), Natalia Buriticá (PUJ), Efraín Domínguez (PUJ), Andrés Peña (PUJ), Armando Sarmiento (PUJ)
Publications: 2019 Report of the FABLE Consortium. Pathway for Colombia.
Key contacts
Related news & resources
Join FOLU Colombia and others for a discussion in Spanish on the science, technology and innovation needed to transform food systems in Latin America. Contact [email protected] for more information/to register