PRESS ROOM
25/6/2024
Peasant, Family, and Community Agriculture: The Main Theme of UPRA's Portfolio at the ‘Better Colombian’ Fair
Bogotá D. C., (@UPRAColombia, @claudialili76). The first fair "Better Colombian, More Delicious Our Own" was successfully held at Corferias, where nearly 1,000 associations of peasant, family, and community agriculture gathered to showcase and sell their products—such as fruits, coffees, cacao, plantains, avocados, and dairy products.
In this inaugural edition, Brazil was the guest country, and various cultural, academic, and gastronomic activities complemented the agenda over four days, attracting around 18,000 visitors.
Agriculture Minister Jhenifer Mojica highlighted the achievements of the first edition of the 'Better Colombian' fair: "We have modeled this fair after the one in Salvador Bahía, Brazil, a country that has 25 years of experience fighting hunger and overcoming food insecurity through an associative and cooperative production model."
The minister emphasized that the Government of Change's proposal is for Colombian farmers to not only produce 70% of the food consumed in Colombia but also to add value to innovate in products and varieties.
"This creates a window for direct and fair trade, without intermediaries. Our goal is for this to be the first of many fairs; this space should be embraced by the 1,800 peasant associations that applied here. The next step is to assist those associations that could not participate due to paperwork issues, ensuring they have the necessary support to join next year," said the minister.
The Unit for Rural Agricultural Planning (UPRA) actively participated at the booth located in Hall 8, alongside national agricultural sector entities. There, dozens of visitors from peasant and indigenous communities from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Llanos regions approached to learn about the publication on the Characterization and Typologies of Peasant, Family, and Community Agriculture with an Agro-Biocultural Approach, the main theme of the fair. It is important to note that 70% of the food consumed in the country comes from family peasant agriculture.
Another UPRA product that attracted significant interest at the fair was the Rural Agricultural Planning Information System (SIPRA), which compiles over 300 data points with precise cartography and layers of information on products, soils, climate, and their respective analyses.
Visitors also sought the Municipal Agricultural Evaluations (EVA) due to the importance of the information provided on the agricultural production capacity of municipalities across the country.
The fair's cultural agenda concluded with performances by groups such as Sistema Solar, Los Rolling Ruanas, Carranga Kids, Adriana Lizcano, Edson Velandia, and Adriana Lucía, who sang about the countryside and the land, reinforcing the slogan: "Better Colombian, More Delicious Our Own."
