Displaying items by tag: new approach

Colombia is pursuing a peaceful alternative to its enduring drug crisis by offering payments to farmers who agree to uproot coca (the plant used to make cocaine) and replace it with legal crops like cocoa and coffee. About 4,000 families have joined the $14.4 million programme, despite risks from armed groups that profit from cocaine and the uncertainty of sustaining income through legal farming. The government, under president Gustavo Petro, is aiming to eliminate coca from 45,000 hectares in conflict-heavy regions such as the Micay Canyon. However, since he took office in 2022 cocaine production has soared, driven by sustained demand worldwide, and his efforts to negotiate with armed groups, rather than using military confrontation, have faltered.  Now the Trump administration is reassessing Colombia’s status as a partner in the anti-drug campaign, threatening to curtail millions of dollars in military aid.