COLOMBIA
Location
Colombia is located to the northwest of South America. The
country is bordered by Venezuela to the north east, Brazil to the
south east, Peru to the south; Ecuador to the southwest and Panama
to the northwest. The country has a total land area of 1,138,914 sq
km. Climate varies between tropical in the coastal areas, and
cooler weather in areas with higher altitude.
Agricultural sector
38,587 hectares of Colombia's land is being managed for organic
use. It makes up 0.1% of the country's amount of total arable land.
Colombia's top 10 agricultural products are whole fresh cow milk,
indigenous cattle meat, sugar cane, indigenous chicken meat,
plantains, green coffee, paddy rice, hen eggs, potatoes and
bananas.
Brief overview of organic farming
Columbia is in the process of promoting a new organic brand. The
different actors in the country's organic market are relatively
independent; they do not form one body. The total area of land
under organic management in the country is 38,587 sq km; a total
share of 0.09% of agricultural land. The actors which have been
involved in the promotion of organic farming for the longest time
period are NGOs, certification agencies and producer associations.
Other bodies who have recently become actors in the sector include
private companies, governmental institutions and
universities.
Brief overview of key organic products
Major organic products include coffee, tropical fruits, sugar,
palm oil, cacao, herbs, medicinal plants, vegetables and basic
grains, eggs, milk, yoghurt and cheese.
The network
The National Inter-institutional Committee of Organic Agriculture
work on Colombia's organic policies and national programme.
Environmental authorities work alongside the National
Inter-institutional Committee for Organic Agriculture to support
reinforce the national organic market.
References
- CIA FactBook, 31.05.07 - https://www.cia.gov
- FAO, 24.10.2006: Key Statistics of Food and Agriculture External
Trade. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
(FAO), Statistics Division - http://www.fao.org/es/ess/top/country.html?lang=en
- Yussefi, Minou and Willer, Helga, Eds.: The World of Organic
Agriculture: Statistics and emerging trends