Anna Rzonzew - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-rzonzew/
David O’Connor - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-oconnor-w/
Amber Gibbs- http://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-gibbs-28b4922a4
In Bello, recurrent landslides on steep, unstable terrain pose a severe and ongoing threat to residents, particularly those living in hillside settlements. These landslide risks frequently destroy homes, land, and productive assets, generating sudden household shocks and long-term instability.
Landslide mitigation can be achieved through the establishment of step-terraced coffee plantations in and above Bello, interwoven among neighborhoods of informal development. These terraces will establish greater soil stability, enhanced by coffee plant root systems (.
Our approach will follow a social enterprise model. We will provide individual community members with 250 arabica plants each, hand implements and training to cultivate 0.5 achars of coffee. Our program will guarantee purchase of the raw coffee at market rate, process it in Bello with local, and sell it to specialty European and North American markets as a premium product. All proceeds will be reinvested into additional plantations and land management.
These agricultural operations will serve a dual use: reducing landslide risk while providing effective financial stimulus to the community members involved, promoting buy-in of stakeholders at all levels.
This proposed solution has potential limitations. The effect estimates are based on extensive research into similar initiatives worldwide and investigations of the impacts of coffee‑based interventions in other regions within Colombia. These are the limitations and assumptions: