Our Davis Project for Peace with International House has officially come to an end, but our work continues. We have learned and grown so much by spending these months with the people of Vereda Bocana Agua Caliente in Morelia, Colombia, and we couldn’t be happier with the progress that has been made. Thanks to the dedication of volunteers and leaders throughout the village council, Caqueta Chamber of Commerce, Colombian National Training Service, and the Primo grocery store chain, we have successfully implemented two hydroponic gardens, run entirely by solar power, that supply tomatoes, melons, and peppers to the local community. The village received incredible sustainability training from leading experts in the field, and the hydroponic technician continues to volunteer his time to the community as they master the art of soil-free gardening. The success of the hydroponic model in this rural farming community has ignited excitement in neighboring localities, local businesses, regional media, and Colombian universities. People have realized how simple and effective the hydroponic model can be, with this potential future for agricultural flourishment diminishing any past contention with neighbors or any thoughts of a return to illicit cultivation. It is clear to us from responses from people at all levels of society that the excitement about the future has washed away any embers of desire to return to the past conflicts. While it would be foolish to say that one community garden has changed the course of Colombia, it is with full confidence that we say that this is a step in the right direction.

We will continue working in the coming year to tell the story of this amazing village and seek additional funding for implementation of this model for other communities in need. We would like to give a very special thanks to Hector Valderrama, Ignacio Sanchez, Ediberto, and John. Without your dedication to the project, none of this would have been possible. Additionally, words can’t express how grateful we are to International House at the University of Chicago and to Davis Projects for Peace for allowing us this opportunity. You all made this happen.

Members of the village, including John (the man in the hat, who was gracious enough to let us sleep in his home on many a night), work diligently to support the growth of the tomatoes with twine.

Additional UChicago students made their way to the remote village in order to support us with the garden project, including Joe Quinn MPP ‘24 and Rimjhim Agrawal MPP ‘23.

Here is a full view of what one of the hydroponic gardens look like. The water tanks pictured on the left feed into hoses via a pump and timer every 30 minutes to hydrate the plants. The root systems of each plant are held within a bag of small stones, bleach, calcium powder, and other nutrients. The wood for the frame of the garden was collected from local trees.

Hector Valderrama, president of Vereda Bocana Agua Caliente, pictured here with his motorcycle in the foreground, and John’s 18-month old son, John Jr., pictured in the background on his noble steed.

This week we had the pleasure of taking part in a community council meeting in which 54 members of the village discussed the latest opportunities and challenges they’re facing in their lives. Unsurprisingly, the hydroponic garden was a big topic. Its promise of providing a sustainable and locally-sourced food supply has sparked excitement and enthusiasm. However, as with any ambitious project, challenges and concerns have arisen during its construction phase.

During the council meeting, many residents expressed their excitement about the potential benefits of the hydroponic garden. They emphasized its potential to reduce dependency on outside food sources, increase the availability of fresh produce, and generate additional income from the grocery store contract. A general consensus was that the garden is not only a step towards environmental sustainability but also an opportunity to strengthen community ties.

On the other hand, there were some concerns raised such as the time it will take from other work that needs to be done in the community and whether or not this “new technology” is really going to work. There was a mostly failed garden project done by a grant from USAID a few years ago, so it’s no surprise that there are doubts. Addressing these concerns we explained that there’s only a couple of hours of maintenance required a week for the garden, and it will produce new income and opportunity for the people, especially the young people, in the community. The vast majority of the people are excited for this new agricultural venture, and those that are most excited constitute enough hands to make garden work viable.

We are happy to say that we have broken ground on the garden! After some logistical challenges, we were able to get the beginning materials shipped out to the remote village. As shown here in the photos, the men of the community all came together to assemble the structure that will soon be a hydroponic garden for all. In the spirit of our project, we had people of all ages involved in the process, setting the precedent for future communal work. The next steps will be having a representative from both the grocery store and the National Training Service come out to install the more technical elements of the garden and to begin training the community members on the technical and sustainable elements of this style of growing. Darren is also happy to say he’s had the privilege of getting to work intimately with the community members through assisting in the morning milking of the cows and interviewing people such as the local priest, local store owner, and a local woman with firsthand experience of the Colombian conflict. Bringing this community together has already been a major success, and we’ve already noticed increased participation from community members as the supplies have started to arrive. Here’s to continued progress over these next 5 weeks!

Our biggest hurdle in the village now is getting the supplies for the hydroponic garden bought, delivered, and installed. It looks like it’ll be another week before we’re all set up. Socially, we would say that everything has been a great success so far. We’ve been able to conduct a number of life history interviews with members of the community, we are engaging almost daily with the mayor, and we have found a digital artist interested in helping us realize a photo book about the village’s story.

We had a bit of free time this last weekend, so we were able to connect to a group of 15 local pensioners going for a hike up into the mountains about a two-hour drive from Florencia. We hiked through dense jungle, cow pastures, and pouring rain, up to an impressive waterfall. According to the local guide, we were the first foreigners to ever swim in the waters of this great fall. Along the way we really enjoyed talking to the retired locals. We learned a great deal from them about the local economy and the area’s history with conflict. They all seemed thrilled to have foreigners coming to work in and enjoy the region. The consensus is that bringing in international tourism to the area will be a much needed boost to the local economy. Personally we would love to encourage all our international friends to come enjoy the beauty and tranquility of Caqueta’s wilderness. This place is incredible.

After getting to spend a couple of nights with the farmers in the village, we headed back to Florencia to put a few finishing touches on the logistics of the garden. Lucky for us, the grocery store we’re working with, Primo, has an amazing team working in the space of sustainable agriculture. We had the honor and privilege of getting to take a tour of Primo’s growing facility just outside of the city. Our tour was led by Edilberto, the grocery store’s gardening expert, and Juan Guillermo, the business expert for the grocery store. Our first big surprise was that Primo mostly focuses on hydroponics, the technique of growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil. In general, hydroponic production systems are used by small farmers, hobbyists, and commercial enterprises. Edilberto explained to us and the village mayor, Hector, that this system basically only requires two hours of general upkeep and nutrient insertion per day. Hector seemed very impressed. Juan Guillermo went on to explain the economics of Primo’s smaller projects like this. As this part of Colombia experienced more conflict in the past, many of the local farmers have not fully reincorporated themselves into the markets for non-illicit crops, meaning that other parts of the country are preferable for big-scale grocery store chains. This has created the opportunity for Primo to move into the local market in Caqueta with the intention of helping small scale growers succeed in the new post-conflict marketplace. With everything we heard, we’re convinced that Primo is dedicated to peace and prosperity in the region.

After a couple of flight delays due to the rainy days of June in Caquetá, we finally arrived. We were warmly greeted by our friend Ignacio who works in the local Chamber of Commerce. The President of the Chamber invited us to his office for some coffee and to discuss our shared vision. We even had the pleasure of being interviewed by a local news team. The real fun started once we arrived in the community. Vereda Agua Caliente is a group of 150 farming families that produce primarily milk. Cows are the pride of this region of Colombia, with the Caqueteños always boasting that their area has more cows than people. Aside from dairy, the locals produce plantains, cassava, cacao, corn, and various vegetables. Cars are not to be found in this rural region as horses are still the primary means of transportation. I felt as though I had been transported back to the farms I always heard about in the stories of my grandmother’s childhood in the early 20th century. Nobody has a television. The leader of the community, Hector, warmly greeted us, showing us all around the land. We surveyed the plot they have dedicated to the community garden, and we spent time getting to know the different families in the area. These are genuinely good people. We spent the first night in the home of one of the families, sharing meals with them and talking about their lives and ambitions. Early next week we’ll be meeting with the National Training Service so that we can work out the remaining logistics and break ground. The project is off to an exciting start.

Connor and Darren being interviewed at the Chamber of Commerce in Florencia, Colombia by the local news agency, Lente Regional.

Cattle are the pride and joy of the people of Caquetá. These are three of the countless cows that call Vereda Agua Caliente home.

Connor and Darren taking a tour of the land with local leader Hector.

This local store serves as the community center for all things social. It is run by a man named John and his family, with whom we had the pleasure of spending our first night.

Hector with two other local farmers, on their way to show us the local lagoon.