Guardians of the Tropical Dry Forests

Protecting tropical dry forests as a sustainable cocoa initiative

We want to promote the environmental care of the tropical dry forest in Huila, avoiding desertification and protecting biodiversity.

Tropical Dry Forest used to cover more than 9 million hectares in Colombia. Only 8% remain today. It is home to hundreds of species that
can't be found in other types of ecosystems.

Location

El Pital and El Agrado in the department of Huila.

Huila is a department in the southwest of Colombia, with a little over a million inhabitants.

It has areas of snow, desert, Andean forests, paramo regions, dry tropical forest, rivers, and ecosystems that make it possible for many species of flora and fauna to thrive. The main economic activities in the area are agricultural: there are various crops of fruits, rice, cotton, coffee, and cocoa. Likewise, there are tourist activities, fish farming and livestock.

Due to its strategic position, the territory has been a road corridor for illegal activities which have a social, economic and environmental impact.

In this region, we began activities on our anchor farm, La Escalereta, in El Agrado in 2018. This farm has 55 hectares and produces 13 tons of cocoa annually. We also work with 8 associations and over 300 producers in the department.

Preventing deforestation in Colombia trough the contribution of our Luker's farmers

We are training the farmers to protect the tropical dry forest and teaching
them how to identify species.

Furthermore, we are measuring carbon capture on the farms and giving them for good practices and results.

KEY FACTS

PARTNERS