From April 3 to 9, 2025, the Procasur Corporation organized a unique immersive experience in Colombia: the Learning Route “Learning from Colombia”, a South-South exchange platform that brought together representatives from Colombia, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire to witness firsthand how rural Colombian women are transforming their territories through innovation, resilience, and leadership.
This initiative was made possible through collaboration between the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia (APC-Colombia), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and Procasur as implementing entity. Its central objective was to strengthen institutional capacities to implement strategies for inclusion and empowerment of rural women by connecting practical experiences, territorial knowledge, and institutional learning.
Over the course of seven days, 18 participants traveled across different regions of the country to visit four experiences led by women, participate in institutional panels, reflect collectively, and design innovation proposals to replicate in their countries of origin. What they experienced was more than a field visit: it was a deep encounter with stories of resistance, community wisdom, and gender-focused development.
A learning journey through feminist cooperation
The Route was part of Colombia’s Africa Strategy and its Feminist Cooperation chapter of the National Strategy for International Cooperation. From this perspective, it fostered peer dialogue among actors from the Global South, highlighting the key role of rural women as agents of change and peacebuilders.
The itinerary combined participatory methodologies, field visits, innovation labs, and analysis spaces. Each day was designed to observe, reflect, and transform: from the initial Experience Fair, where the delegations shared their contexts, to the workshops where concrete strategies were outlined to be implemented in West Africa.
Territories that inspire: host experiences
Throughout the Route, the delegations visited four emblematic experiences that reflect different dimensions of women’s empowerment in Colombia’s rural areas. Below we present each case with a brief introduction and the main lessons identified.
Zurron’s Cacao
In the cacao-growing region of Santander, a group of rural women has transformed traditional cacao production into a gender-focused value chain, launching products such as traditional chocolate and artisanal bars under the Zurron’s Cacao brand.
Key lessons:
Promotion of the Care Economy to redistribute domestic responsibilities.
Integration of value through cacao transformation.
Access to technical training with an entrepreneurial approach.
Strengthening of women’s leadership in traditionally male-dominated value chains.
Youth involvement through family-based production groups.
Local Savings and Credit Groups (GLAC)
In the rural area of Córdoba, more than 8,500 women have gained access to basic financial services thanks to the Local Savings and Credit Groups (GLAC). This initiative is driven by the Fondo Mujer Libre y Productiva (FMLP), Corporación Vital, and Fundación Nuevo Renacer.
Key lessons:
Financial inclusion without the need for traditional banking.
Creation of an Entrepreneurship Fund linked to savings.
Formation of savings groups for girls and boys.
Strengthening women’s economic autonomy.
Sustainability of the model through community governance.
The Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Vereda de Santa Rita (ASOMERITA) and the Association for the Development of Rural Women of Costa Azul (ASODEMURCA)
These two associations represent different approaches to land access for rural women. While ASOMERITA received a collective plot to cultivate hibiscus, ASODEMURCA obtained individual land titles in areas recovered from armed conflict.
Key lessons:
Land access as a driver of empowerment and autonomy.
Productive diversification with a market-oriented approach.
Comprehensive technical support coordinated by public entities.
Transformation of pain into community action.
Collective management and sustainability in rural territories.
Association of United Women of San Isidro (AMUSI)
From the heart of the Montes de María region, the Association of United Women of San Isidro (AMUSI) has worked since 2008 to rebuild the social fabric, combining food production with environmental conservation and historical memory.
Key lessons:
Development of high value-added products such as Ñame Chips.
Community environmental management with a peacebuilding approach.
International recognition for their transformative leadership.
Political training of members to increase their influence.
Connection between production, identity, and reconciliation.
From Colombia to the world: innovation that transcends borders
The Route concluded with the presentation of Innovation Plans developed by the delegations from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. These proposals are based on what was learned during the journey and include actions to replicate strategies on land access, community savings, productive training, and gender approaches in their national contexts.
Both plans were evaluated by technical teams from IFAD, APC-Colombia, and Procasur, marking the beginning of new collaborations aimed at strengthening local capacities and advancing towards more horizontal and transformative cooperation.
A legacy of learning for action
The Learning Route “Learning from Colombia” was not only a source of technical knowledge. It was, above all, a human experience that reaffirmed the value of peer exchange, the power of organized rural women, and the role of international cooperation as a bridge for sustainable change.
From Colombia, paths of transformation were shared. From Africa, commitments were made to plant these seeds in new territories. The process continues, because learning together is also building the future.
