Colombia has made considerable advancements over the past two year in illicit crops substitution program to eradicate coca, said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNOCD) .
UNOCD praised the progress Colombia has recorded in curbing illicit drugs production through alternative development scheme.
At the 2014 National Conference for Alternative Development in Medellin, UNOCD representative Bo Mathiasen showed evidence for the success of the project and improvements in quality of life of thousands of families involved in illicit crops substitution in recent years.
The results presented at the three-days event encompass data collected since 2012, when Alternative Development program was incorporated into the National Territorial Consolidation Plan. Since then 96.000 families in 1.721 villages across Colombia have benefited from the initiative.
FACT SHEET: Colombia coca cultivation
Beginning in 2011, through the Memoranda of Understanding, the Colombian government has devoted more than $111 million pesos in resources to aid communities affected by illicit crops. Between 2012 and 2014, alternative development programs allowed for securing of almost 1,5 million hectares of illicit crops-free land.
The Post-Eradication and Containment programs addressing the elimination of illegal crops with economic and social programs for the most vulnerable populations have turned out advantageous to thousands of farmers across the country. However, other beneficiaries include an estimated 9% of Afro-Colombians, 17% of displaced people and 5% of indigenous communities.
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