A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting John Peg, the regional director for Witness for Peace (WFP). We had mutual respect for each other's work, what with Peace Coffee's focus on Fair Trade and WFP's efforts directed toward human rights and U.S. foreign policy. We discussed teaming up by taking a trip to a Latin American country to explore these issues through both the sociopolitical and economic lenses as well as share our expertise. Witness for Peace leads delegations in many of the same countries that Peace Coffee buys from, but I was interested in one country specifically. Because of safety concerns, Colombia was our only trading partner we had not visited. John told me WFP could provide the security blanket I needed to feel comfortable enough for a visit. So this past March, seventeen other Americans and I met in Miami to embark on a ten-day visit to Colombia.

Witness for Peace has been "giving a voice to the voiceless" in Latin America since the early '80s. After traveling to countries to meet with people affected by U.S. foreign policy, delegates return to the U.S. to work for change. WFP maintains an in-country staff that sets up trip itineraries and provides general expertise on the country. It is this level of professionalism that made our trip a success.

Of course, the first measure of that success was to come back alive and in one piece. My trust in WFP was well founded -- our trip went off without a hitch. Secondly, going to the land of Juan Valdez, I obviously wanted to learn as much as possible about the coffee industry, meet with our producer partners and explore new relationships with other producer groups. Finally, I expected to learn about Colombia's conflict and the United States' role, specifically the effects of Plan Colombia.

Our first coffee visit was in downtown Bogotá at the headquarters of the Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers, the true creators of the ubiquitous Juan Valdez ad campaign. This is Big Coffee -- very sophisticated and light-years away from my typical coffee trip experience, which is hanging out with the farmers in remote corners of the world. To their credit, the Federation has allowed Colombian growers to receive higher prices than in other countries, but they are also an enormous bureaucracy in crisis due to the incredibly low prices on the international market. But the Federation is coming around to Fair Trade and organic coffees, a very important step for the sustainability of Colombian coffee and a sign the Federation is taking the concerns of smaller producer groups into account.

I made a side trip to Fondo Paez, a producer group from which we are hoping to purchase coffee. I spent three days in the Paez indigenous reserve, meeting with farmers and seeing some of the most beautiful agriculture imaginable. The Paez have a holistic approach to farming, built on self-sufficiency. Coffee is a key component, but we also saw corn, bean, fruit trees, medicinal herbs and many other plants and trees growing in the diverse fields (more forest-like than farm-like). My three days in the country convinced me that the Paez are a group with which we would be honored to work.

Our delegation had meetings with dozens of Colombian organizations: community groups, elected officials, campesino and indigenous organizations, unions, the Colombian military and others. It showed us a wide spectrum of the society and we asked everyone we met the same thing, "What are your thoughts on Plan Colombia?" The overwhelming answer from the civil society was that U.S. taxes should not be spent training and arming the Colombian military. The conflict in Colombia has only escalated in recent years and everyday civilians are caught between all the armed actors. It is very difficult to remain neutral and work for peace in Colombia and with our government's stance that you are with us or against us, Colombians feel there is even less room to breath. The bottom line is that fumigating coca and dumping guns in Colombia is bad policy. It's time to reevaluate.

I left Colombia feeling both depressed and encouraged. The amount of violence in the country is staggering and I have never in my life been so exposed to that reality. The prospect for a short-term solution is hard to imagine. On the other hand, it was empowering to see so many people continuing to struggle for a better society, especially the Paez coffee farmers. By buying Fair Trade coffee from groups such as these we are not just ensuring economic success. Through solidarity, we are building a new society founded on justice, ecological harmony and peace.

Look for a more in-depth article on Fondo Paez in an upcoming issue of Fair Grounds.

And for the political end of things, check out the Colombia summary at Witness for Peace’s website -- http://www.witnessforpeace.org/sites/colombia.html.

(Back to Headlines)