This digital report highlights the personal experiences of some of Colombia’s “substitution farmers” who eradicated their illicit coca crops as part of the Peace Agreement’s substitution programme, but are still waiting for the state to deliver what was promised to them.
Voices from the borderlands 2022
Our flagship report, based on a collection of life stories that offer insights into how illicit drugs, violence and conflict, poverty and development, and insecurity and resilience are entangled in the everyday lives of people in the borderlands.
“Everyone here feels that they have been let down by the government.”
We met Yolanda* for the first time in December 2018 in a rural area of Tumaco. That same day, she recounted to us an unimaginable situation: it had already been a year since she eradicated her coca crops and she still hadn’t received the first food assistance payment. Since the arrival of the PNIS in […]
“If the PNIS had been a reliable programme, there wouldn’t be any more coca.”
In this area of Tumaco, characterised by its coconut production, the programme has seen serious delays. As well as the common problems (delayed payments, suspensions, etc), these beneficiaries never received resources from the food security project, nor were they provided with technical assistance. In 2019, we met Alirio*, one of the leaders of this community […]
“We managed to grow this cacao ourselves, all thanks to our hard work and not the government.”
“We went into the substitution programme to eradicate coca, and because you need money to invest in a project here. We needed help, my kids are in secondary school and I haven’t got the means”, are the first words of José, a PNIS beneficiary who lives in a community council in Tumaco. “Those of us […]
Fish farming project led by women – Guayacana
“Tilapia could be an option, if the government invests money into it.” We went to Lorenzo’s* farm, situated in one of the rural divisions along the Tumaco-Pasto highway. Lorenzo came to Tumaco decades ago; he’s from a municipality in the Nariño Mountains. Here, in the rural division, he was one of the leaders who enthusiastically […]
Entangled lives: conflict and illicit economies in Afghanistan
This animation tells the story of a smuggler on the border between Afghanistan and Iran.
Archiving and sharing data from the Drugs and (dis)order research project
In this presentation, Veerle Van den Eynden, Data Manager outlines how data from the research is being archived and shared.
La Paz Incumplida De Colombia
Esta animación explora las historias de comunidades que viven en las fronteras colombianas a través de la historia de dos personajes, Roger, un liner social afrocolombiano, y Joanna, una líder campesina.
Colombia’s Broken Peace
This animation tells the story of Roger, an Afro-Colombian activist, and Joanna, a peasant farmer, as they navigate lives impacted by conflict and the illicit drug economy in Colombia’s borderlands.
Nang Nang and Sai Sai: Drugs and their impact on young people in Myanmar’s borderlands
This comic tells the story of Nang Nang and Sai Sai, illustrating the proliferation of drugs and their impact on young people in Shan State, Myanmar
Naw Hkam’s Story: Youth and Drugs in the Borderlands of Kachin State, Myanmar
This comic tells the story of Naw Kam, a young man who describes the impact on his life of sustained drug use
Drugs, development and peace processes: A gender lens
Podcast: Drugs & (dis)order researchers explore gender dimensions related to illicit drugs and peace processes in Afghanistan, Colombia and Myanmar.
Drugs, development and peace processes in Afghanistan
Podcast: Drugs & (dis)order researchers explore how illicit drugs have been approached within peace process in Afghanistan.
Drugs, development and peace processes in Myanmar
Podcast: Drugs & (dis)order researchers explore how illicit drugs have been approached within peace process in Myanmar.
Drugs, development and peace processes in Colombia
Podcast: Drugs & (dis)order researchers explore how illicit drugs have been approached within Colombia’s peace process.
COVID-19 in Colombia’s borderlands
Podcast: Drugs & (dis)order researchers discuss how COVID-19 has affected communities and their research in Colombia’s borderlands.
Jessica: coca, estigmatización, violencia y desarrollo en colombia
Jessica es una líder social de Putumayo, un departamento en la frontera sur de Colombia. Este cómic fue creado por Inty Grillos, Colorbia. Leer comic
Jessica: Coca growing, stigmatization, violence and development in Colombia
This comic tells the story of Jessica, a social leader living in Putumayo on Colombia’s border with Ecuador, where many farmers grow coca
Jangul: conflict and drug trafficking in Afghanistan’s borderlands
This comic tells the story of Jangul’s from Nangarhar province in Afghanistan, and how he ended up smuggling heroin from Kabul to Moscow