Social and productive organization strategy for the generation of stable income and sustainable livelihoods for lemon-producing families in Sonsón, Antioquia.

  • Country: Colombia.
  • Location: Municipality of Sonsón, Department of Antioquia.
  • Duration: December 2025 to November 2027.
  • Participants: 60 small-scale Tahitian lime producers and their families.
  • Area of specialization: Entrepreneurship training and rural market development.

Starting point

The municipality of Sonsón is committed to agricultural diversification with export-oriented crops to reduce economic risk and conserve its diverse productive species. Furthermore, the primary sector, despite representing almost a third of the added value, is the largest employer, making it the productive activity that contributes the most income to the economy.

In this municipality in southeastern Antioquia, the agricultural sector also plays a fundamental role in food security, the economic development of the region, and agricultural sustainability. To achieve the latter, it is necessary to promote agricultural practices that minimize environmental impact, such as organic farming, efficient water use, crop diversification and rotation, and the promotion of soil and biodiversity conservation techniques aimed at protecting and restoring natural resources.

On the other hand, the municipality and the páramo region are immersed in a market where informality represents their biggest challenge. Furthermore, dynamics such as population growth and the lack of proximity to large population centers to facilitate mass marketing prevent the business fabric from becoming more dynamic.

In 2021, a Tahiti lime farming project was launched with approximately 100 producers, who received seedlings, fertilizers, and compost. They also received technical assistance and guidelines for implementing Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Of these, 67 producers have continued caring for their Tahiti lime seedlings. However, several challenges have been identified:

  • Low levels of technical assistance.
  • Limited capacity to establish commercial partnerships.
  • Technical deficiencies in crop management and production planning.
  • Deficiencies in accounting management during production.
  • Lack of knowledge about cooperative processes.
  • Difficult access to financing.
  • Poor condition of rural roads.

Objective

General Objective: To contribute to the economic development of the municipality of Sonsón through collaboration and the implementation of stable and sustainable production alternatives.

Specific Objective: To strengthen the technical, organizational, and financial management capacities of small-scale lemon producers to improve their income and livelihoods.

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What is the project about

This project aims to achieve the following results:

  1. Improve the productive capacities of 60 lemon-producing families by modernizing their plots and improving their productivity and profitability indicators through:
    – Conducting a technical diagnostic to identify, among other factors, the state of the crops, the productive capacity of the soil, water availability, soil and climate conditions, and the presence of pests and diseases.
    – Sharing the results of the technical diagnostic, the design of the technical proposal, and production plans.
    – Providing guidance and support in the implementation of the investment plan to ensure the continuity of operations throughout the different production cycles.
    – Designing and implementing a training program in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to support each stage of lemon cultivation.
    – Establishing an independent technical assistance system for organized lemon producers.
    – Designing and implementing a technical assistance plan for production

    2. Creation and strengthening of a cooperative enterprise for the consolidation, processing, and marketing of lemons, through:
    – Design and implementation of a socio-entrepreneurial training program with a cooperative, community-based, and productive focus, providing tools for the sustainable development of the producers’ organization.
    – Advising and supporting the establishment of the cooperative, the drafting of its bylaws, and the development of its organizational structure.
    – Establishment of management areas.
    – Development of decision-making tools, a business plan, and marketing and sales strategies.
    – Advising and supporting the establishment of commercial agreements.

    3. Promote access to credit and financial education for lemon producers and their cooperative enterprises to improve productivity and access formal markets through:
    – Development and implementation of cooperation agreements between small-scale producers, their cooperative enterprises, and financial institutions.
    – Financial literacy training and access to banking services for organizations and producers.
    – Advising and supporting producers and cooperative enterprises in the credit process.
    – Creation and implementation of cooperative enterprise-owned credit funds to leverage production units.
    – Implementation of a system for tracking, monitoring, and disseminating indicators and results.

Entities that support this project

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