Supporting Smallholder Pineapple Farmers in Colombia

Smallholder farmers in Colombia are transitioning out of the informal economy and are partnering to grow and sell together so they can take advantage of economies of scale and expand their range of buyers. In order to reinforce this process, CorpoValle is working with 54 smallholder agricultural associations, some of which have been particularly struck by violence, by strengthening their business and technical capabilities. Corpovalle is a non-profit, development agency, focused on planning, evaluating and implementing agricultural development projects in Colombia’s Valle del Cauca department. They focus on nine fruit and vegetable value chains: lulo, blackberry, pineapple, citrus fruits, avocado, grape, guava, plantain, and chontaduro (peach palm fruit).

CorpoValle reaches 1,700 fruit and vegetable growers in 29 municipalities, impacting 3,400 households or approximately 12,000 people.  F2F partnered with CorpoValle from the beginning of the Colombia program and so far has completed eight volunteer assignments with 11 different associations. One of the chosen volunteers was Carlos Fierro, who supported Asocadevida, an association that produces pineapple of the Oro Miel variety located in the Dagua municipality. Asocadevida was founded eight years ago, and although they are very committed, they had several financial and administrative difficulties because they did not save any production, quality or sales records.

Mr. Fierro was chosen to help Asocadevida’s 33 members with basic administrative, financial and commercial organization processes so that in the future they can develop a formal long-term business plan. He holds a B.B.A. from The University of Texas-El Paso and is currently a Portfolio Consultant at TD Ameritrade. Mr. Fierro spent two weeks in Dagua in November 2019 where he started a seven-step process commonly used in financial planning: i) establishing the scope of engagement, ii) gathering the necessary information, iii) analyzing the provided data, iv) developing recommendations, v) presenting the recommendations, vi) implementing them, and vii) monitoring that these are being followed. 

The volunteer completed the first five steps and left the remaining two to the association. He established the scope of work and gathered information through in-person visits and face-to-face conversations, a lot of which took place in member farms where he could observe their agricultural activities. He then analyzed and developed recommendations and presented them to the entire association in a small event that he held as a chance to conclude the visit on a positive note and reinforce the idea that these types of programs are meant to reward them for the progress they have made and encourage further development on their own.

With help from CorpoValle’s staff, at the end of his assignment, Mr. Fierro had helped Asocadevida to establish internal association rules and start keeping records of all cash transactions. He also recommended that they grow a complimentary crop, as pineapples take between twelve and fourteen months for harvest and that they prevent smaller fruit from being sold at a loss by not selling it per unit but instead processing it into pulp or juice.

Mr. Fierro remembers his volunteer assignment warmly: “This has proven to be a remarkable opportunity to learn and share my financial knowledge and possibly help people better their lives. Professionally, I have learned that financial planning concepts are mostly global in nature and can be applied regardless of the client's stage in their financial development, that basic financial knowledge is a requirement in an increasingly interconnected world and that it should be available to all and without cost. I thoroughly enjoyed helping the farmers with the financial aspect of their agricultural activities.

On a personal level, I came into the opportunity with an open mind, wherever the path led I would go learning along the way. This experience has provided me with a small window into modern-day Colombia, as well as all the bright prospects that lie ahead.

The relationships that I built on this visit with the farmers were wonderful. They all put up with all my intrusions, inquiries, and questionings with nothing but open arms and warm smiles. They were extremely welcoming and despite the very different places that we come from, we found common ground on many topics including food, sports, music, family, and shared dreams of a better future. They make the best of what some might say is a hard situation but just need a little help every so often as we do all. Their joie de vivre is palpable and unmatched and my experience here has taught me that the thread of humanity is woven throughout all of us and exists without borders.”