Search

The National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC) is the largest coffee growing organization in the country, and it assembles coffee growers from departments including Caldas, Antioquia, Quindío, and Risaralda. It has spent the past ninety years ensuring improvement in the quality of life for the people living in these areas. One of the FNC's many undertakings that should be emphasized is the construction of road infrastructure that allows for coffee to transported and therefore sold and the social development of the communities in its areas of influence. This paper is written by Mauricio Medina, the leader of the FNC's Social Development Unit, who emphasizes that if the projects are to be successful, it is necessary to turn to these types of experiences for post-conflict investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-standing conflict in Colombia has inflicted substantial costs on the population and the economic development of the country. Since conflict occurs mainly in the country's rural areas, the economic impacts of violence are higher for these territories. The purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of armed conflict on Colombia's rural population and the current conditions of rural areas as well as discuss whether the peace agreements with FARC may contribute to improve these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]