AGROSAVIA and the Ministry of Agriculture sow opportunities for the youth of Putumayo

Puerto Asís, Putumayo. November 25, 2025. In the heart of Putumayo, where the history of colonization gave way to a dynamic landscape of social and economic processes, a new page of progress is being written with young people as the protagonists. The National Rural Youth Strategy comes to life at the Rural Ecological Educational Institution El Cuembí, thanks to an alliance between Corporación colombiana de investigación agropecuaria – AGROSAVIA and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The purpose was clear and transformative: to promote the integral development of young people, cultivating a sense of love and belonging to the countryside so they become protagonists of regional development. The research team from AGROSAVIA's Florencia – Costayaco Headquarters traveled to the village of La Carmelita, located on the Puerto Vega–Teteyé road corridor, 23 kilometers south of the municipal center of Puerto Asís, next to the Cuembí River, with the aim of strengthening pedagogical projects in swine production and cocoa agro-industry.

During the implementation of the project, a training environment in cocoa agro-industry was consolidated, thanks to the support of Gran Tierra Energy and the National Training Service (SENA). This initiative is part of the Development Program with a Territorial Approach – PDET, implemented by the Agency for Territorial Renewal – ART, which provides opportunities not only to the students of the educational institution but also to producer organizations such as AGROPAL and AGROPASIS. The National Rural Youth Strategy provided personal protective equipment and materials necessary for producing items such as chocolates, jams, and cocoa butter. Researcher Pablo Fernando Ramos, National Coordinator of the Strategy, stated, "At AGROSAVIA, we are committed to strengthening national policies on the agro-industrialization of the countryside. That is why the Rural Youth project reached El Cuembí to strengthen agro-entrepreneurial initiatives with potential in the region."

Likewise, a pigpen was built to breed and raise piglets, equipped with a breeding stock (a sow with ten piglets) and gestation crates that facilitate the technical management of lactating animals and their offspring. This pigpen is connected to a biodigester for biogas production, an initiative supported by partners such as Gran Tierra. These resources will help cultivate the dreams and aspirations of the new generations of the El Cuembí Educational Institution, which, thanks to the commitment of its administrators and teachers, continues its legacy by offering a more promising future for rural youth.

The intervention goes beyond simple training; it is a fundamental pillar for promoting entrepreneurship, providing young people with concrete technical skills so they can create their own businesses in the agricultural sector; generating employment opportunities so that qualified human talent can respond to the real needs of the local economy; and strengthening their rural identity by linking new generations to sustainable and profitable production chains, valuing the potential of their territory.

The strategy recognizes that the future of the countryside requires more than technical knowledge. Therefore, it also focuses on fostering leadership and participation in community decision-making; promoting relevant rural education that encourages a prosperous life project in the countryside; and encouraging young people's active civic participation in their communities' social and political life.

This delivery not only provided resources; it also symbolized the transmission of a legacy. The youth of El Cuembí are not mere observers, but true heirs of knowledge that today is expressed in white lab coats and enriched by the fruits of their land. They are the tangible evidence that there is a better path: one forged through effort, nourished by work, and sweetened by the certainty that the future of the countryside is full of hope and new protagonists.

Today, in Puerto Asís, the future is taking shape among the youth of El Cuembí. AGROSAVIA and the Ministry of Agriculture have not just delivered a project; they have planted the seed of a quiet revolution—one where progress does not come from outside, but sprouts from within, cultivated by those who believe that the most promising place for a young Colombian can, and should be, their own territory.