SOWING THE SEEDS OF TRANSFORMATION IN THE COLOMBIAN ANDES: THE ROLE OF THE HUERTA (HOME GARDEN) IN FOSTERING AND SUSTAINING AGROECOLOGICAL PRODUCTION

ABSTRACT

The adoption of agroecological and related alternative farming practices is frequently cited as a viable strategy for fostering transformative change within agricultural and food systems. This study investigates the role of agroecology as a pathway of transformation of small-scale agriculture in the Colombian Andes. Drawing upon the “three spheres” model of transformation, which encompasses interactions between the personal, practical, and political spheres, the study explores motivations, actions, and political implications associated with the adoption of agroecology in three sites within the Bogotá region. The study employs a qualitative methodology, including in-depth farmer interviews and participant observation. Study findings highlight a range of economic, cultural, and ecological motivations within the personal sphere, all of which are driving farmers toward adoption of agroecology. These motivations, many of which are rooted in an ethics of care and connection, manifest in the practical sphere through actions including soil care, plant care, and care of seeds. Within the political sphere, these actions are contributing to micropolitical changes that are fostering broader shifts toward sustainable local food systems. Taken together, these findings suggest that agroecological practices can offer a viable pathway for addressing the current challenges in agriculture, promising a more sustainable and socially just future for small-scale farming.

Keywords::

• agroecology
• three spheres of transformation
• Colombia
• small-scale farming

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ There is an IRB in place at Rutgers University. P. I. Mahecha-Groot, Protocol # E17–021

² It is important to distinguish between “neorurals,” traditional peasants, and “organic agrarians returnees.” Neorurals, often urbanites seeking a lifestyle change, differ from traditional peasants in their backgrounds and motivations, bringing urban perspectives, higher education, and a focus on sustainable ventures. Traditional peasants have a deep-rooted connection to rural agriculture, often using more conventional methods. Agrarian returnees, like Farmer E, embraced rural life to reconnect with nature or agricultural roots, often with a renewed, environmentally conscious approach. This shift from traditional, often chemical-intensive, agriculture to sustainable practices like agroecology represent a significant change in farming philosophy and practice.

³ A total of 25 farms were visited, including in-depth participatory observation in four farms. The lead author also participated in numerous farmers’ collectives meetings and gatherings.

⁴ Farmer E is a peasant who grew up seeing his parents struggling with agriculture without successful economic outcomes. From the time of his parents, agro-industrial practices started to be the mainstream way of doing agriculture. This led to perpetual dependency on agro-industrial inputs and agrochemicals to sustain food production and commercialization. Fortunately, his parents did not lose their land, as was the case for many other small-scale farmers as a result debts that came from dependency on agro-industrial practices. When he reached the age of having his own family, Farmer E had no other choice but to be an agrarian worker because it would have been impossible to live without a salary from the land he inherited from his parents. It was easier and more secure to be an employee, despite the unjust conditions of his work, including no health insurance or social security. He worked on a large farm growing carrots where he had to manipulate a lot of agrochemicals. One day he had a heart attack, and his “boss did not give to [him] even one mejoral (painkiller pill) to help [him].” He feels that he paid with his health for the use of agrochemicals in his old job. Since then, he decided to start a new life, on his parents’ land with an agroecological huerta. “I knew that it would be difficult to raise a family without a salary and also without chemicals [laughter] but at least I could give them good food, and I could take care of my health and well-being” (Farmer E). Since then, he became an authority on agroecology in Subachoque. He lives on agroecology; he distributes what he produces in different places, markets, and food fairs, but most of all his huerta became an agroecological lab.

⁵ Soil in Spanish is suelo, but soil can also be tierra, and tierra can mean planet Earth, land, and territory too.

⁶ Using the words of Laura Gutiérrez Escobar (2016, 5) in Spanish “criollo/criolla refers to both landraces and creolized varieties, the latter of which are the outcome of an intentional or accidental mix of landraces with scientifically improved varieties.”