Slipping through the cracks : effects of the peace accords : a case study on Putumayo, Colombia

Abstract

In 2016, the Colombian government and the country's largest guerrilla group, the FARC, signed a peace agreement. The agreement comes after over 50 years of internal armed conflict. Colombia's high levels of inequality, unequal land distribution and poor government reach in rural areas have driven the conflict. However, since the signing of the accord, deforestation and coca cultivation has increased in Putumayo, a department in the Amazon bordering Ecuador and Peru. The increase in deforestation and coca cultivation is due to slow implementation of the accord, as well as the Government's failure to fill the power vacuum left in rural areas after the FARC demobilised. This thesis uses political ecology to explore the impacts on marginalised communities in conflicts over access to and control over resources. Political ecology also integrates environmental and social issues and aims to understand questions about conflict, environment and society. The research question is, what effects do the peace accords have on rural campesino communities in Putumayo? The analysis and discussion found that the situation is complicated, however, campesinos in Putumayo experience livelihood insecurity, increased violence, and being criminalised by the government. Colombia's dependence on extractive industries attracts violence and militarisation, as does coca cultivation. Many campesinos are still dependent on coca cultivation due to a lack of viable alternative livelihoods. This puts them at risk from both the state and illegal armed actors. The thesis concludes that it is a complex situation with many interlinked factors. Overall, there is a significant link between peace and environmental protection and social marginalisation is both a cause and effect of environmental harm.