Colombia has existed as a nation since 1819. According to historians, at that time the birth of a great country with an immense potential of natural resources, destined to become a power in the south of the continent, was in sight.

However, since this prognosis, more than 200 years have passed in which agriculture has become one of the most infamous embarrassments of our history. Despite being a country with great agricultural and livestock potential, the potential to be among the 10 most promising countries to supply the world’s food demand, we have lagged behind.

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In more than two centuries, only three national agricultural censuses have been carried out in Colombia, the last one in 2014. These censuses provide revealing and interesting data that should be widely shared and discussed with the population. For this reason, I have decided to write this column.

Let’s start with the objective of censusing the rural population and land use. According to DANE, the objective of the 2014 National Agricultural Census is “to provide strategic, georeferenced and updated statistical information on the agricultural, forestry, aquaculture, fishing and environmental sectors, as well as on agricultural producers and the population living in dispersed rural areas for decision making and the structuring of the Agricultural Statistical System”.

The objective is updated to the current requirement, in which the aim is to spatially establish how many productive agricultural units exist, as well as to determine the country’s real capacity to provide its own food and have a competitive supply of products that meet the needs of international markets.

However, upon reading the rather dense deliverable -1,036 pages- said information, which was published in 2014 and provides important information of a strategic nature for the country, it is inevitable to think that 7 years later it has not been possible to implement projects based on that information, which are national in scope and structure an advantage for the country’s agricultural sector.

We still see in the newspaper headlines that the population that works in the countryside and derives its livelihood from there feels discontent with the lack of structural support from the State, because it does not arrive in a timely and expeditious manner to solve the problems of the countryside.

Although I cannot underestimate the efforts that have been made, these have not had the impact that would be expected after 7 years of obtaining the data from the census, which showed us once again the potential that the country has, the opportunities it offers and the potential agricultural area that could create wealth and reduce inequalities in the countryside, an important point of the origin of the conflict in Colombia, especially focused on the use and tenure of land, because today, regardless of the hands in which it is in, it is underutilized and not aligned with the needs of feeding the world.

While it is important to have conducted the census in 2014, which was launched with great fanfare as one of the greatest efforts made to consolidate the figures of the sector and identify the reality of agriculture, I will bring for you a summary of some of the data commented in previous columns that I will try to harmonize with the general conclusion of this last census.

“It is possible to identify the land use and land cover in the dispersed rural area censused. Among the main results obtained are that of the total census area (111.5 million ha), 56.7% corresponds to natural forests; 38.6% has agricultural use; 2.2%, non-agricultural use; and 2.5% is designated for other uses.

In the distribution of the area destined for agricultural use, which is equivalent to 43.0 million hectares, 80% corresponds to pasture and stubble; 19.7% to land for agricultural use; and 0.3% is occupied by agricultural infrastructure.

Regarding the area under agricultural use (8.5 million ha), 83.9 % corresponds to crops (7.1 million ha); 13.6 % is allocated to fallow areas; and 2.5 % to fallow areas”.

When I see this categorization, I wonder: could it be that we are ashamed to identify ourselves as farmers in a country with such a relevant area for such activity, which could become an undisputed agricultural potential?

When looking at the above graph, I wonder about the figure of 34.4 million hectares in pastures and livestock. Although this activity has contributed a lot to the country, generates employment, produces food, has made us a regional power in the production of milk and its derivatives, and has allowed us to supply meat to the domestic market and export and meet the needs of international markets, the questioning lies in what opportunity cost we are letting escape and what would be the social impact of optimizing many of those hectares with an agricultural approach.

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It is unfortunate that, despite our abundant natural resources and undisputed agricultural potential, we have not been able to take full advantage of these advantages to boost our development as a nation. The lack of up-to-date and detailed information on our agricultural production has hindered our ability to make informed and strategic decisions in this crucial sector of the economy.

In a world where food security is a global concern and where the demand for food is constantly increasing, Colombia has a privileged position to become an important global food supplier.

However, in order to achieve this, it is imperative to have accurate and updated information that allows us to understand our strengths, identify opportunities for improvement and take concrete steps to boost our agricultural sector.

We can generate structural jobs within the municipalities and regions and thus turn Colombia into the potential agro-exporter it is called to be. Dear reader, we are farmers by vocation, by resources and by location. We have to understand the relevance of agriculture for this country and the importance of implementing clear public policies, impulse and investment incentives that take advantage of the great opportunity that our country offers us.

Considering the environmental conditions, the abundance of water resources and the proximity to the world’s main markets, is it possible that Colombians, after 200 years, have not yet understood that the greatest potential we have is in our countryside? In fact, we almost completely ignore the opportunity it offers us to stabilize a country with an imperative need to fight poverty and reduce inequalities.

Producing food should not be a source of shame. On the contrary, we should focus all possible tools of the State and the private sector to promote investment in a sector that requires urgent attention, not only because of the historical neglect, but also because of the great opportunity we have right under our noses and that we are almost decidedly letting go to waste.

We are leaving an important space, which is being taken advantage of by other Latin American countries such as Peru and Chile, which, despite having more limitations, are becoming world leaders in exporting agricultural products to the world.

I am determined to contribute to the development of our countryside and I hope that many more will join this cause and we can see the opportunities of our agriculture flourish once and for all and take advantage of our natural wealth that is literally under our feet.

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