Colombia’s quest to quit coca stalls as aid gaps hamper farmers
Colombian coca farmers joining a state-led substitution program were promised two years of cash and technical support to swap coca for legal crops, but delays, weak rural reach and natural disasters left many without help, driving some back to coca as demand and prices stay lucrative. A new effort, RenHacemos, aims to fix PNIS’s shortcomings by expanding roads, education, and diversification, but analysts warn lasting change requires sustained aid and security in rural areas amid ongoing drug-market pressures.
