Colombia Population : 49.66 Millions Poverty headcount ratio (% of population): 35.7% GDP : $333.57 Trillions GDP growth (annual): 2.5% Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP): 6% Area : 1,141,748㎢ Income Level: Upper middle income Source : World Development Indicators Database Year : 2018

Topic & Summary Year : 2017 Topic : Strengthening Food and Nutritional Security and Sovereignty, and the Competitiveness of Small Milk Producer Organizations Associated to Livestock Project Duration : 2017 Partner Ministry : Government of Cundinamarca Joint Research Agency : National University of Colombia Executing Agnecy : Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Affairs Implementing Agency : Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) Project Director : Jang Heo, Research Director, Center for International Agricultural Partnership (CIAP), KREI Project Manager : Jang Heo, Research Director, Center for International Agricultural Partnership (CIAP), KREI Project Officer : Kyumi Ahn, Research Associate, CIAP, KREI Advisor : Naewon Oh (KREI)

2017

• Policy Meeting

  

  Policy Meeting

  
  Date
  - March 5 to 10, 2017
  
  Venue
  - Governemtn of Cundinamarca, Colombia
  
  Results
  - From March 5 to 10, 2017, KREI visited the Government of Cundinamarca in Colombia and had a policy meeting to discuss main objectives and the expected outcomes of the 2017 KAPEX Project. Both parties signed the Record of Discussions for the 2017 KAPEX Project, including joint research, KAPEX Training Programs and KAPEX Result-sharing Workshops in Korea and Colombia. They also discussed the current situation of the livestock and dairy sectors in Cundinamarca to understand the background of joint research.

• Joint research

  

  Joint research

  
  1st Field Survey
  - From May 14 to 20, 2017, the KAPEX Joint Research Team visited Cundinamarca, Colombia to collect data on small-scale milk farmers, dairy product producers, and the current situation of producers’ cooperatives. The team interviewed the local government of Cundinamarca to collect information on the project area. It also interviewed small-scale producers and cooperatives to collect data on milk production by farm size and analyze the issues regarding the agricultural extension service system in Colombia.
  
  2nd Field Survey
  - From August 25 to 28, 2017, the KAPEX Team visited Colombia to discuss the final report of joint research and suggest policy ideas for agricultural and rural development in Cundinamarca. The team recommended establishing or enhancing cooperatives/ farmers’ groups and programs to promote crop diversification. Also, it suggested policy ideas for rural youth, such as scholarship programs. 
  
  Major Findings
  - Ubate is a milk-producing province in Colombia. It is a strategic area due to its proximity to Bogota. However, climate change has seriously affected small milk producers due to decreasing precipitation and frequent droughts. This has impeded alternating their dairy activities with agricultural production. Additionally, large companies play a vital role in the dairy production chain. They have a positive role in supporting small-scale producers through product purchases and training. However, they also play a negative role. Private companies do not support the small-scale producers with mitigation plans during the production peak. Therefore, it is essential to support small-scale producers for competitiveness expansion.

• KAPEX Traning

  

  KAPEX Traning

  
  Date
  - (Invitational Training) July 16 to 23, 2017/ (Local Training) August 21 to 31, 2017
  
  Venue
  - Seoul, Korea and Ubate, Colombia
  
  Results
  - Korea held the Invitational Training for 14 high-level public officials from Colombia to enhance policy development capabilities by sharing Korea’s development experience in the dairy sector through lectures, site visits, and discussions. They had lectures including "Livestock and Dairy Sector Development in Korea," and "Agricultural Cooperatives in Korea." For study visits, they visited livestock and dairy cooperatives, dairy producers, and agricultural cooperatives. Based on the implications from the lectures and study visits, the participants developed action plans to enhance food security by strengthening the livestock and dairy sectors in Colombia
  For local training in Colombia, 50 working-level public officials and experts participated to develop ideas on strengthening the livestock and dairy sectors with Korean experts.

• KAPEX Academy

  

• KAPEX Result-sharing Workshop

  

  KAPEX Result-sharing Workshop

  
  Date
  - November 17 , 2017
  
  Venue
  - Seoul
  
  Results
  - On November 17, 2017, Korea hosted the KAPEX Result-sharing Workshop to share the final results of the joint research and propose the possible ODA projects from 3 partner countries, including Nepal, Uzbekistan and Colombia, for the 2017 KAPEX Project. Also, the partners for the 2018 KAPEX, such as Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Mongolia, participated in the workshop and presented the topics of their projects to share the background of the projects.