Economic gains made by Colombia in the last two years face diminishing results brought about by drug trafficking and illicit cultivations. Continuous coca and poppy farming has had a detrimental effect on the environment, leading to an annual loss of more than 200,000 hectares of native forest. Much of the illicit cultivation, clustered in the sensitive ecosystems of the country, has triggered increasing rates of extinction of numerous endemic species of plants and animals of the Andean region, such as the majestic Bespectacled Bear.

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In addition to the negative environmental impact, the social effects on the communities in general, especially on indigenous groups, are troubling. Reliance on trafficking breaks up family unity, distorts cultural values and generates processes that destabilize public order. Drug trafficking, for example, has corrupted public institutions. Traffickers, in order to carry out their activities, have paid bribes and other surcharges.

The increase in violence in the country has also coincided with Colombians getting involved in drug trafficking and illicit cultivation. The drug business has supported violence by financing armed groups, such as guerrillas and paramilitaries. According to a study by the Colombian National Planning Office, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) obtained 60 per cent of their income from drug trafficking, and some paramilitary leaders of the United Self-Defence Forces (AUC) recognized that the greater portion of their funds depends on drug trafficking. For every dollar spent on cocaine in any street in the world, approximately 10 cents end up in the hands of a Colombian armed group for the continued financing of violence.

Colombia is a rising force in the global opium poppy production. It became the world's primary coca producer when drug traffickers reduced their importation of coca base from Peru and Bolivia due to increases in produce seizures through aerial and border controls. The illicit crop cultivations in Colombia, whose situation is considered as one of the most complex in the world, are located in regions on the periphery of State presence, where land title is practically non-existent and where there is minimal infrastructure for the commercialization of legal products. The absence of State regulation in large parts of the country facilitates traffickers in convincing small landholders and indigenous residents to cultivate coca or opium poppy and establish agreements with armed groups for the protection of their cultivations. Contrary to popular perception, some landholders and indigenous Colombians cultivate coca or opium poppy not because they are evil individuals with no social ethics. Realistically they are economically rational persons, who are motivated to seek market opportunities in order to attain a minimum quality of life. It is estimated that about 100,000 families in Colombia are involved in illicit cultivations.

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Coca or opium poppy cultivation does not generate high income for landholders. It is calculated that they receive only less than 1 per cent, or about 0.6 per cent of total profits. Given that the final selling price of cocaine or heroin to end users is much higher than the production cost, it is the traffickers who receive the majority of profits. Generally, the decision to enter into illicit cultivation or production is made not because of the draw of income but the certainty of commercialization.

Over the years we have come to understand that small landholders and many indigenous groups have agreed to abandon or desist illicit cultivations if they are assured of the purchase of other alternative crops or produce, and if the price allows them to live with a certain degree of dignity. In some cases, however, the income generated from legal crops is not equal or comparable to that from coca. Nevertheless, small landholders prefer legal crops because their real profit is in the reduction of levels of violence and social problems for their families. For these reasons, we have been working for several years on the identification and promotion of alternative crops, known in Colombia as "peace products" due to their obvious positive effects, to replace coca and poppy.

UNDOC photos

It is widely considered that if rural businesses that produce traditional crops, such as coffee, beans, cacao, plantain, fruit and palm hearts, and the private sector can be relied upon for the commercialization of these legal products, more sustainable and successful policies against illicit drugs in Colombia will be achieved. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has managed to sign several marketing agreements with nationwide supermarkets, such as Carrefour and Éxito-Casino, and at the same time count on the support of some commercial European organizations like Andines to support the elimination of illicit coca and poppy cultivations.

The drug problem is not only a Colombian problem. It is also a problem of shared global responsibility of countries with high levels of drug consumption, those that facilitate trafficking routes and those that launder the proceeds or that produce the necessary base chemicals for the production of cocaine or heroin. The collaboration provided for the marketing of alternative crops or "peace products" will be very valuable, as it will allow the reduction of monies for armed groups and will slow down the advance of illicit cultivations into environmental ecosystems that are priceless to humanity.