David Cheever, a graduate student at the University of Colorado, declared in 1964 that “The Sabana de Bogotá -Colombia- presents the ideal conditions for high-quality, large-scale carnation crops, which can be produced year-round. due to its excellent climatic conditions.
Cheever’s investigation led Edgar Wells and Miguel de Germán-Ribón from Colombia to meet with him, thus starting the cultivation of carnations and floriculture for export in the country in general.
A few years later, on January 26, 1973, Asocolflores was born, with the firm purpose of strengthening our export floriculture and today, 5 decades later, it is an example for the world in terms of building a productive, inclusive and sustainable is concerned.
From the moment of its creation, Asocolflores understood the relationship that exports and rural development must have for the success of the floriculture activity, seen as the relationship between the economic and social growth of the communities where flowers are present, with the creation of value to promote the progress of the country and its inhabitants.
On the other hand, before the importance of what is currently called business resilience was recognized in the panorama of organizations, starting in the 1970s, and due to the export vocation of floriculture, Asocolflores directed its efforts to improve the ability of its affiliates to anticipate and accept changes and alterations, and adapt to them, in order to safeguard their success over time.
Thus, floriculture in Colombia has evolved for 50 years from what could be called the “Exports, rural development and resilience Trinomial”. This permanent transformation has allowed the country today to have 60 species and 1,500 varieties of flowers that meet the expectations of workers, consumers, and the sustainability requirements of the more than 100 nations to which they are exported.
Asocolflores is celebrating 50 years:
• Understanding that the achievements that today allow floriculture to produce 200,000 formal, direct and indirect jobs, and generate the highest employment rate per hectare in the national agricultural sector (14 compared to two or less for other activities), they must continue to increase, offering more and more job opportunities and social and economic benefits in rural communities.
• Multiplying their efforts for equality, so that the 60% of women, mostly heads of household, who are currently part of the 110,000 direct employees in the sector, grow and continue to benefit from their job promotion, training, training programs. technique, housing and recreation.
• Recognizing that sustainability is actions and therefore it must work, even more, with its affiliates so that the indicators that show that flower growing companies have reduced the use of chemical pesticides by 53%, eliminating the use of the most toxic ones, Increased by more than 50% the efficient use of rainwater, 56% used energy from renewable sources and increased the use of bio-inputs by 600%, continue to grow for the conservation of the environment and the country’s natural resources.
• Strengthening the relationship with the main protagonists of the sector worldwide, so that the international participation that today gives it a seat on the boards of directors, committees and summits of the main associations of the sector worldwide, offers new opportunities, from innovation, in its transforming role to find new ways to create value in the face of challenges and disruptions, which will always be present.
The infinity of obstacles overcome, the innumerable achievements obtained and the experience acquired make this 50-year celebration the best of compasses for Asocolflores to continue pointing north, that north that continues invariably as the search for growth in exports. development of rural areas and continued resilience.