Colombia continues to face complex political and social dynamics, inherited from decades of internal armed conflict, peace agreements that have not been fully implemented, the fight against drug trafficking, and the presence of paramilitary groups in certain regions. Although the peace accords have formally reduced violence, structural challenges persist, including corruption, deep socioeconomic inequalities, weak institutional capacity in rural or peripheral areas, and irregular delivery of public services.
The country has a diversified economy based on the export of raw materials (oil, coal, coffee, flowers, bananas), a growing services sector, tourism, manufacturing, and agriculture. However, volatility in commodity prices, a high rate of labor informality, and territorial disparities hinder balanced development, particularly affecting young people, rural communities, and marginalized groups.
Within this context, the project “PACE – Training Pathways, Self-Employment and Socio-Economic Growth in Agroforestry and Livestock Value Chains for Peace Consolidation in Colombia” is implemented. It is a three-year project (36 months), co-funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), and carried out in the Montes de María sub-region, in the departments of Bolívar and Sucre.
Led by ICEI – Istituto Cooperazione Economia Internazionale, the project is implemented through a broad partnership that includes IILA (Istituto Italo-Latino Americano), SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje), ARN (Agencia para la Reincorporación y la Normalización), and FHJ (Fundación Hogar Juvenil). Its objective is to strengthen employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in the productive sector, promote gender equality, and improve the production and commercialization of sesame, cocoa, livestock, and fish farming value chains, from an environmental, social, and economic sustainability perspective.
The intervention responds to the limited availability of decent work and aims to promote self-employment, with particular attention to inclusivity and sustainability. It is structured around two main pillars:
-
Training: strengthening professional skills through curricula updated to market needs and sustainable technological innovations.
-
Productive strengthening: support for the competitiveness of SMEs and local producers, with actions to increase productivity and market access, thereby generating new employment opportunities.
The PACE project aims to promote territorial development policies that contribute to the consolidation of the peace process by supporting productive activities, creating decent jobs, and fostering entrepreneurship in the Montes de María region.
In particular, small agricultural enterprises and vulnerable individuals seeking employment or with entrepreneurial aspirations—such as young people, women, former combatants, or victims of violence—in six municipalities of Montes de María will acquire certified, professional skills aligned with the demand of sustainable agricultural value chains.
At the same time, the supply of employment opportunities will be strengthened by supporting small agricultural enterprises in improving their competitiveness in the market.
Direct beneficiaries:
-
64 SENA trainers from the centers in Sucre and Bolívar;
-
360 young aspiring entrepreneurs (aged 18–28) trained in the six municipalities of intervention;
-
300 individuals and 180 unemployed people trained from the municipalities of intervention;
-
152 members of the 7 supported and trained producer organizations, who will in turn train 411 people belonging to their organizations.
Indirect beneficiaries:
-
Approximately 190,000 inhabitants of the six municipalities of intervention, who will benefit from improved economic spillover effects;
-
12,106 firmantes de paz nationwide, who will indirectly benefit from the support and strengthening of ARN;
-
300,000 SENA users who will benefit from innovative and integrated curricula;
-
1,280 SENA trainers who will benefit from cascade (train-the-trainers) training.
Activities
ICEI and IILA—the latter with a specific focus on cocoa value chains—will collaborate on reforming the curricular program for SENA trainers, introducing in particular content dedicated to Agroforestry Systems (AFS). This approach represents a significant innovation in terms of resilience to emerging climate challenges and environmental sustainability.
SENA, in turn, will deploy the updated trainers to deliver technical and professional training courses targeting three groups:
-
agricultural producer organizations,
-
young aspiring agricultural entrepreneurs,
-
unemployed individuals seeking job opportunities.
For young entrepreneurs, the training will also include management and marketing skills, which are essential for launching and developing sustainable businesses.
Alongside the training pathways, direct support activities for entrepreneurs and small rural enterprises are planned. The Colombian non-profit organization FHJ will provide managerial support, while ICEI will offer technical assistance, supplying tools for agricultural activities and supporting the implementation of AFS demonstration plots.
Additional support actions will include:
-
funding for productive activities and assistance in accessing future funding opportunities,
-
professional internships for entrepreneurs and operators within the cocoa value chain,
-
strengthening the services provided by SENA and ARN, the government agency responsible for the reintegration of former combatants.