A Little Bit about Land

“Proof again of the contradictory human being. So much good, so much evil. 

 Just add water.” 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

As I mentioned in the entry on A Little Bit about Colombia's Conflicts, land is at the root of much of the conflict in Colombia.

Land in Colombia is valuable. After Brazil, Colombia is the most biodiverse country in Latin America and the entrance to South America for other countries. Colombia has coast and ports on both the Caribbean and the Pacific. It is also a country very rich in petroleum, natural gas, and many other minerals. However there is a lot of international involvement in these industries. For example, 80% of the coal mined in Colombia leaves Colombia. The Colombian government itself invites these companies in with enticing tax breaks and easy access with the idea that foreign investment is good, however these companies have their own interests in mind, not those of the people living off the lands they now use. One effect of this is that it takes land away from indigenous communities and leads to the disappearance of groups, languages, knowledge, and cultures that have developed for centuries. There are also a lot of cases of foreign companies involved in mineral exploitation, human rights abuses, and little interest in development of Colombian economy.

Not only do the difficulties with land involve economic and cultural struggles, but much of the violence in Colombia is related to these land struggles as well. The largest massacres in Colombia occurred in places with most natural resources and most narcotrafficking. Paramilitaries have also been known to force people to move off land to gain land for multinational companies.

One of the communities that I work with is an example of a community that has been directly affected by paramilitaries taking their land. Even now, when they have a court order to return their lands, they are faced with many challenges and hurdles to actually move back because of the value of the land that is rightfully theirs.

Another community that I am working with did not leave their homes when the paramilitary came, however many people did sell their lands. A good portion of the community still lives by farming, but since they don’t have their own land, many of the farmers clear land for the owners with the deal that they can plant and harvest on it for one year, for example. Afterwards, the land owners use the cleared land for cattle grazing. The community is struggling for lack of owning their land.

These are just two examples of how land is a complex and violent topic in Colombia. Another teammate of mine is working in land issues as well and sent me this information about Las Pavas, another community affected by violence due to land. Read it here.

This is a complicated topic and I am learning more and more about it every day, I will try to update as I learn.

Information thanks to several Colombian academics and farmers who have 

researched and lived these conflicts.