Cooperative Red EcolSierra

The Red EcolSierra cooperative is situated in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region in Colombia. For generations, indigenous and other community groups have cultivated coffee collectively in this highland region.
Red EcolSierra coop was established in 1997 by a network of ecologically oriented small-scale farmers. Since 2014, the coop has exported coffee and maintained an uninterrupted processing chain. Red EcolSierra is organic-certified and acts according to fair principles in the spirit of solidarity.
These principles are put into practice by improving the living conditions of small-scale farmers. 425 families in 23 groups are distributed across four regions (Santa Marta, Ciénaga, Aracataca and Fundación). The head office, a warehouse and the coop's coffee laboratory are located in Santa Marta. Employing agricultural technicians supports members' vocational training and high coffee quality.

Civil war, strikes and protest movements in Colombia
Colombia is one of the biggest countries on Central America's border. Corruption, civil war, organised crime and a militarised war are having a massive impact on the country and its population. At the same time, strong strike movements and social protests are happening across the country.
In February 2013, small-scale farmers went on a general unlimited strike across the country. Their demands included fair and stable producer prices, a reduction of their debts at Colombia's agricultural bank, and a ban on mega-mining projects. During blockades of Panamericana, the most important road in Central and South America, one person has been killed, several have been hurt or are missing.
Exploitation of Colombia's abundant resources constantly fuels conflict. German and international corporations are realising billions in profit. The dirty local work is done by right-wing paramilitary forces featuring connections to state police and the military. To enforce coal mining projects, severe human rights violations are committed. The local population and small-scale farmers are displaced violently, and the rainforest is destroyed. Groundwater and essential rivers are polluted during the coal-cleaning process.
Coal-fired power stations' international logistics – e.g. the coal being subsequently delivered to controversial power stations like Moorburg in Hamburg – have encouraged an intertwining of urban climate protests with indigenous population groups' blockades and workers' strikes in Colombia. On the other hand, many people have been killed as a consequence of protests and social movements, including more than 20 union members.

Small-scale farmers' highly-contested land
Red EcolSierra cooperative, like many others, has been established on contested land. In the seventies, the region created armed forces to protect major landowners. Small-scale farmers were threatened by these paramilitary forces and the activities of the military during the eighties and nineties' civil war. Massive displacement was taking place as a consequence of fighting and selective assassinations. The region has been the focus of armed conflict and is crucial to organised crime because of its proximity to Santa Maria harbour. It presented a natural corridor connecting regions and developed into a hiding place for drugs, weapons and contraband.
Since 2006, families without legal protection have started returning to their land and organising in cooperatives. Paramilitary forces had been neglecting the coffee plantations for years, and parts of the forest had been devastated by illegal deforestation.
More information:
https://www.ecolsierra.com/notired.html