In 2008, the Medio Atrato Producers Association (Asproderma) began work with the aim of promoting the socioeconomic development of the region with the production of organic rice. This association created a production center in Quibdó to strengthen the food security of the Medio Atrato communities, boost local commerce and contribute to the achievement of peace in Chocó.
This is the only production center in Atrato with enough machinery to process tons of food. However, it had not been operating for almost eight years and had not received visits for three years due to harassment by illegal armed actors towards its workers. The situation took a turn in July 2023, when Acumen, the Association of Producers of Medio Atrato (Asproderma), USAID and ACDI/VOCA allied themselves with the Greater Community Council of the Comprehensive Peasant Association of Atrato (Cocomacia) to reopen Their doors.
In 2015, when the process of internal violence in Quibdó intensified, the population was forced to close the center, so farming families had nowhere to sell food; Production in general decreased, affecting the food security of the locals. With the arrival of international cooperation and community participation, the idea of turning the space into a “peace pilot” arose, hence the name change.
Some of the local farmers work at the Center. Others come to sell their products or buy food produced by the same community.
“It was very gratifying when we told the communities that we are in dialogue processes with the actors in the neighborhoods that had conflict to see how we could reactivate the Center. That helped us to have more producers and motivation,” says Darío Córdoba, legal representative of the Association of Producers of Medio Atrato (Asproderma).
The Paz Productive Center has a semi-industrial mill that threshes 1.5 tons per hour, a stationary drying plant with the capacity to treat 60 tons in 24 hours and a mechanical vertical baler that fills and closes 2,250 pound bags per hour. The idea of the project is that farmers can go to the Center to process their crops and, thus, have more competitive products on the market.
Eight people are in charge of this machinery, but in total there are thirty actors involved in the production chain and who are in charge of everything from unloading the cans to collecting the rice husks. Other people even work at the facilities in exchange for food for their families.
The project, before exporting, seeks to guarantee the food sovereignty of the locals.
All products are destined for local consumption, as the idea is to guarantee that the population has a complete diet before exporting. That does not mean that they rule out the possibility in the future:
“When we went to buy rice in the communities, people were very happy, they said ‘Now we are going to be able to produce well.’ With that suspension of activities that we had as a result of harassment, we lost many merchants, but we are resuming contact so that they can bring their products to the Center again,” adds Darío Córdoba.
As it is a local processing center, production costs are lower, making it easier for families to purchase food.
“Dialogue and transparency are very important to us, showing that there are not large amounts of money here but that it is a community process. We want to build peace through food security,” concludes Darío.
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