Coca Cultivation: A Lifeline in the Cauca Valley
The Cauca Valley in southwestern Colombia, also known as "San Coca," is a region where the cultivation of the coca plant has become a crucial means of survival for many. Families, the elderly, single mothers, and Venezuelan immigrants often depend on this crop as their sole access to markets and as a way to generate income.
I visit the mother of a close friend, who lives in isolation, about three hours on foot from the nearest town. Her modest home is built on stilts to protect it from the frequent floods during the rainy season. The house consists of two small rooms, a passageway, a simple cooking area, and a dining space. Surrounding the house are banana trees, cassava plants, medicinal herbs, and other crops, allowing her to sustain herself with daily food.
Each day, she works on nearby coca plantations, tending to the plants and harvesting the leaves. Her daily life revolves around this labor, and she rarely leaves the remote area, only venturing into town to visit friends or purchase essentials.
Coca Cultivation: A Lifeline in the Cauca Valley
The Cauca Valley in southwestern Colombia, also known as "San Coca," is a region where the cultivation of the coca plant has become a crucial means of survival for many. Families, the elderly, single mothers, and Venezuelan immigrants often depend on this crop as their sole access to markets and as a way to generate income.
I visit the mother of a close friend, who lives in isolation, about three hours on foot from the nearest town. Her modest home is built on stilts to protect it from the frequent floods during the rainy season. The house consists of two small rooms, a passageway, a simple cooking area, and a dining space. Surrounding the house are banana trees, cassava plants, medicinal herbs, and other crops, allowing her to sustain herself with daily food.
Each day, she works on nearby coca plantations, tending to the plants and harvesting the leaves. Her daily life revolves around this labor, and she rarely leaves the remote area, only venturing into town to visit friends or purchase essentials.
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