From Colombia to Davis: Cacao project cultivates student exchange

The world cacao and chocolate market was estimated to be worth more than $47 billion in 2021, and growing. Two UC Davis collaborative projects aim to enlarge the share of that wealth for small farmers in Colombia.

Undergraduate students from the Department of Plant Sciences played host to five students from Colombia recently, after themselves visiting Colombia last year to study that country’s cultivation of this ancient and storied crop. Their exchange was part of the Cacao Innovation Rural Youth Lab, led by Associate Professor Amanda Crump and funded with a 100K Strong in the Americas grant. The program receives international support from government and private-sector supporters including the United States Agency for International Development. It connects students from each country’s top agricultural universities to work on projects together.

For Crump’s project, UC Davis students collaborated with students from Universdad de La Salle. In September 2023, Paige Campbell, Deysi Alvaro Ceja, Maria Hernandez, Nyah Mallak and Thea Ragsdale traveled to Colombia for two weeks to learn about cacao production. They spent time at the Chapinero campus in Bogotá and at the Utopía campus in a rural tropical forest region. There, they met Colombian students Diego Ríos, Yan Carlos Maturana, Gabriela Seguro Castro, Laura Camila Gómez and Juan Sebastián Portilla.

After the trip to Colombia, the U.S. and Colombian students stayed connected through online courses. Then, the Colombian students visited Davis for two weeks during the spring quarter.

When reflecting on their trip to Davis, each student noted changes in their agricultural and cultural perspectives. One ULS-Utopía student was particularly moved by Crump’s agricultural equity lesson: 

“My vision about the future changed. Now, I want to help single moms and handicapped people,” said Diego Andrés Jaimes Ríos. “We can see that it is normal to see them in the town, but they really need a work opportunity. And now I feel that I can help them. Thanks for changing my mind.”

Reactions from the Colombian viewpoint

Colombian students also enjoyed seeing the UC Davis Ecological Garden and interacting with children on agricultural lands, 

“This international experience has drastically changed my way of seeing the world,” said Yan Carlos Maturana, another ULS-Utopía student who is studying agricultural engineering. The exchange now has him “thinking of new ways of agricultural production and integrating technology to the care of the environment and human health.” 

Gabriela Segura Castro has changed her mind about her future, saying she now is interested in agribusiness and wants to work on a doctoral degree at UC Davis.

“We visited the Student Farm and learned how they do so many things in a sustainable way,” said Segura Castro, an international business and relations major at La Salle’s Bogotá campus. “In that moment I thought. 'There is a way to do agriculture and still care for the planet.' So after this whole trip, my mindset has changed."

Adriana Buitrago Otalora teaches at the Bogotá campus. She is trying to evaluate the connections between the university’s work to graduate agronomists and Colombia’s efforts to both develop the country and build peace. That’s still a struggle after the 2016 peace accord between the government and a leftist guerilla group ended five decades of armed conflict.

“The children’s garden was a great experience, as it is designed to build capabilities in the new generations, as well as reinforce sustainability practices,” Buitrago Otalora said. Her own work will be shaped by having a wider understanding of the impacts of factors such as “land and water availability, food security and agricultural practices on the exercise of citizenship.”

View from the U.S. perspective

For students from UC Davis, the experience immersed them in another culture, and they saw their own through visitors’ eyes.

Paige Campbell studies environmental science. “My favorite moment (in Colombia) was exploring the cacao fields in Yopal, touring the chocolate factories in Bogotá and attending lectures with the UniSalle students,” she said. She found that being outside of her norm taught her things she can “apply in all aspects of my life.”

Thea Ragsdale studies environmental science and management.  “The most impactful memory I have from visiting Colombia was getting to learn from cacao farmers about their practices and overall just learning about the complexities that exist in the cacao and chocolate industries,” Ragsdale added. “This experience has given me a strong passion for sustainable agriculture and for interdisciplinary work.”

While this first project has officially ended, the Colombian and U.S. students continue to keep in contact, and some have even discussed collaborating on future research projects. We are thrilled to continue working with Universidad de La Salle, and Universidad Internacional del Trópico Americano, and are excited to see how graduate-level research engages with these themes. 

Second project funded includes climate action

The first project of the Cacao Innovation Rural Youth Lab was so successful that Crump and Libardo Gutiérrez, of Universidad de La Salle, applied for and received a second 100K Strong in the Americas grant for a new project: “Diversifying Cacao Landscape: Knowledge and technology transfer for climate action and agroecology to contribute to the food system in Colombia.”

This project will work similarly to the previous one, but involving graduate students engaged with plant sciences and agricultural research. In addition, there will be a more intentional focus on climate-smart agricultural practices within cacao production.

This initiative focuses on empowering underprivileged rural students in Colombia by funding their international mobility to UC Davis. These students will have the unique opportunity to visit research centers and labs, gaining invaluable knowledge and experience in sustainable cacao production. Similarly, participating UC Davis students will travel to Colombia and work with the Farmer Field School in Agroecology. 

This project is a powerful example of international collaboration tackling the following crucial issues: 

1. Climate Action: Sustainable cacao production techniques that can mitigate climate change impacts. 

2. Agroecology: We are looking to promote environmentally friendly farming practices that benefit the ecosystem. 

3. Food System Strengthening: Empowering local communities contributes to a more resilient food system in Colombia.

Please keep an eye out for more information regarding this upcoming project. We love collaborating with Universidad de La Salle and cannot wait to see the impact of these projects!