The new generations of Putumayo no longer inherit only the land. With AGROSAVIA, they inherit the leadership to transform it

• With national reach across 19 departments, the National Rural Youth Strategy financed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and implemented by AGROSAVIA benefits more than 9,000 people. The initiative extends to 50 Rural Educational Institutions, working with students, parents, and producer organizations. 
• These initiatives send a clear message: the countryside is no longer a default option; it is a purposeful life choice.

 

Villagarzón, Putumayo. December 10, 2025. In the south of Colombia, in an area where the Andes mountain range meets the Amazon, lies Villagarzón — the Green and Ancestral Heart of Putumayo. The resilience of its inhabitants cultivates not only the land of peach palm fruit but also a prosperous future. In this corner of the Colombian Amazon, biodiversity and vibrant cultural traditions form the foundation of progress that keeps the hope of an entire region alive.

Just a few kilometers from the town center, deep within the village of El Porvenir, a silent revolution is emerging. It is not driven by sickles or machetes, but by ideas, innovation, and a clear purpose: to inspire new generations to choose the countryside. Corporación colombiana de investigación agropecuaria — AGROSAVIA — in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development through its National Rural Youth Strategy, is not only training farmers; it is shaping the entrepreneurs, scientists, and environmental leaders who will guide tomorrow’s agriculture.

Here, learning is lived. The students of the IER Agropecuaria Ciudad de Villagarzón do not just read theories; they apply them. Through comprehensive, hands-on training, they are acquiring the tools to become agents of change: they become guardians of the Amazon, learning about environmental education and silvopastoral systems that harmonize production with conservation; they are the innovators of agro-industry, mastering milk processing and applying best practices to create high-quality products; and they adopt the role of rural entrepreneurs, understanding that the countryside is a viable, sustainable business full of opportunities for their life projects.

AGROSAVIA, through its research team at the Florencia–Costayaco Headquarters Office, has transformed its agro-industry laboratory into a true innovation center. This new space, which operates as a creation workshop, is equipped with an array of advanced techniques to drive innovation and the development of agro-industrial products. Its success and dynamism will be supported by a strong commitment to collaboration with the Educational Institution within the framework of the productive pedagogical project.

This space is more than four renovated walls; it is the seed of future agro-industrial enterprises that will undoubtedly help bring many young people’s dreams to life.

A livestock sector with a forward-looking vision for the conservation of the Amazon is also taking shape, as the commitment extends to this sector as well, where the foundations of sustainable and profitable cattle ranching are being built. With support in animal nutrition using forage species in silvopastoral systems, specialized mineral salts, and soil-care techniques, livestock performance is improving, demonstrating that it is possible to produce more and better while protecting resources.

AGROSAVIA is not only building infrastructure or providing training; it is cultivating roots. It is showing rural youth that their future is not far from home, but here, on their land, full of potential and dignity. These seeds of change nurture a truth: the countryside is no longer a last resort but a fertile ground where a life with purpose is planted and allowed to flourish. To achieve this, various actors such as Gran Tierra, the Mayor’s Office of Villagarzón, Banco Agrario de Colombia, and the Association of Rural Youth Entrepreneurs of Villagarzón support and accompany these initiatives, convinced that the future of the country lies in the countryside.

These initiatives send a clear message: the countryside is no longer a default option; it is a purposeful life choice. A space where tradition meets technology, sustainability becomes profitability, and young people are the protagonists of their own success stories. The future of Putumayo’s countryside is bright, and it carries the names of its youth.