Like millions of Colombians, 38-year-old Enrique and his mother Eloisa were forced to flee their farm during the country’s 50-year civil war. The Victims and Land Restitution Law, a spearhead of broader land policies contained in the peace accord signed in late 2016 between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), calls for the restitution of land to displaced victims of conflict.
Today, USAID supports the Colombian Government in resolving these land issues, which were at the heart of the conflict. For farmers like Enrique and Eloisa, that means being able to return to the land they lost and gaining a legal land title.
With their land returned and their property rights secure, Enrique and Eloisa are now investing in their future — expanding and diversifying crop production, learning modern farming techniques to increase harvests, and selling cash crops — with USAID’s support.
For more stories of transformation, visit: https://stories.usaid.gov.
USAID is also helping to economically empower returning citizens, assisting these communities to invest and grow legal crops, boosting incomes and creating greater self-reliance. This video tells the story of a mother and son who return to their home in Balsillas, Tolima, the birthplace of the FARC, after being forced to flee during the conflict, and build a more economically secure future for themselves, their family and their country.