Eradication Efforts, the State, Displacement, and Poverty: Explaining Coca Cultivation in Colombia during Plan Colombia

Eradication Efforts, the State, Displacement, and Poverty: Explaining Coca Cultivation in Colombia during Plan Colombia

Summary of the Main Points

This article is a quantitative research that utilizes the data to explain the Eradication Efforts, the State, Displacement, and Poverty: Explaining Coca Cultivation in Colombia during Plan Colombia. Production of coca is concentrated in the Andean Region, where Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia are located. However, Colombia is the leading coca producer as it overtook the neighboring countries in the 1990s. Despite the challenges the country faces like aggressive coca eradication campaigns and dismantling of Colombian cartels, the production continues to thrive. The United States has employed a lot of resources to stop the production of coca as it discourages the illicit drug industry as it threatens the national welfare.US has invested over $4 billion since the year 1999 to combat the production of coca. The primary goal of the strategy is to reduce the consumption of cocaine. However, the reduction of cocaine prices in the US has suggested the abundance supply of the drug in the United States.

Lack of understanding concerning the coca crop patterns has failed the attempts by the Plan Colombia program to reduce its production and supply. This situation has led to the continuous expansion of the cocaine market. Since the year 2000, coca production has already risen by 36%. The failure of coca production efforts can be characterized by what is termed as balloon effect. The production of coca squeezes in a particular region, whereby attempts to dismantle the energy on one side result in the shift in production to other areas. The year 2005 indicated an increase in the cultivation of coca by 8% in Colombia. The new regions identified as coca fields in the year 2005 were initially not known to be producing coca before. This balloon effect, according to research, has no explanatory power as little quantitative evidence is available.

The article reviews existing explanations of coca cultivation to answer the research questions. It then utilizes the sources to develop a description of the advancement of the crop in Colombia. The article uses recently published time-series cross-section data for up to 32 sub-national departments, which were gathered between the years 2001 and 2005. The result provides adequate support for aerial eradication re-allocation as a way to reduce the cultivation of coca I Colombia. According to the results, the advancement of coca in Colombia may not be entirely suppressed by the aerial eradication. Even if some impacts may be felt in some areas, it would just be temporary because of the displacements which are associated with fumigation efforts. More so, the cultivation of coca in Colombia takes place in agricultural departments with limited presence and market access. By analyzing the relationship between the cultivation of coca plants and poverty, there is a clear relationship because weak areas are associated with the high civilization of coca plants. Adequate labor and land in Colombia contribute to the cultivation of the crop.

Explaining Coca Cultivation in Colombia

Analysis of coca production in Colombia is characterized by many challenges since the problem is highly politicized. Both counterinsurgency efforts and political pressures have propelled the anti-coca policies in Colombia. The militarization of forced eradication of coca through Plan Colombia has posed many questions concerning its effectiveness and health and environmental issues resulting from herbicide-based annihilation. The data regarding the cultivation of coca in Colombia has been availed through sub-national data, making it easy for statistical testing. This data is utilized by the article in modeling the theoretical factors, market, and socio-economic characteristics to analyses the subnational patterns in the cultivation of the crop.

According to the market theories, Colombia is the strategic local for the production of coca. Its strategic location with North America and European markets also boost the output. The US, however, believes that the drug cartel can be broken by law and order. The US government subscribes to the law of supply and demand to reductive coca production in Colombia. They use a fumigation strategy where they destroy the crop or force the farmers not to harvest. Aerial fumigation by Direction Antinarcotics (DIRAN) is the best strategy to control demand. Between 2004 and 2005,138367 hectares of the coca crop was sprayed. Plan Colombia is also well funded by the US government to ensure full control of the production. However, the coca growers have compensated themselves through balloon effect, whereby they have planted the crop again in remote areas, away from state infrastructure.

The fumigation was met with a lot of resistance and violence due to the displacement it caused on the residents. People have retaliated through guerilla warfare and paramilitary groups, a situation that forced the government to slow down its effort to destroy the coca production.

There are various advantages, however, that coca provided, which the aerial eradication tended to overlook. First, the crop can be harvested in six months after planting and can as well be harvested six times a year. It can also do well in poor soils and low cost of production. It is grown in under-developed regions of the country. Weak state presence in some of the underdeveloped areas contributes mainly to the creation of coca. Also, there are illegal groups in some regions in Colombia that provide primary education and security and impose a tax on coca and other sources of income. Such groups have supported the production of coca in those regions.

Model Results

Colombia has 32 administrative departments. The collected data includes annual observations for the independent variables from 2000-2004. Coca cultivation is the independent variable.

The relationship between variables was analyzed using Prais- Winston regression model. Error autocorrection of the errors was done through the prais-Winston transformation. The model results indicated that aerial eradicated has a small effect on coca cultivation in Colombia. It has the most insignificant standard coefficient in the model. However, displacement and stage presence have a significant impact on the eradication of coca. The model result also shows that poverty and production of coca have a complicated relationship in Colombia.

Conclusions

The model presented in this article indicates some complex factors that have contributed to the thriving in coca cultivation since the implementation of Plan Colombia. The analysis of the data shows a complex relationship that lies between displacement, aerial eradication, and the advancement of coca. The impacts of aerial destruction are minimal on coca cultivation because of the balloon effects. The model also creates a dilemma for policymakers who rely on poverty as the leading cause of the advancement of the crop. It indicates that the production of coca is concentrated on areas of moderate and not extreme hardship. Therefore, even though poverty alleviation poverty of essential, it might not bring out the intended results. However, poverty alleviation programs are critical in the reduction of coca planting. Finally, the results suggest that the production of coca is concentrated in areas that re economically underdeveloped within Colombia due to poverty and underdevelopment. Also, the results indicate that there is no room for corruption, as there is a need for accountability. Also, the government needs to invest primarily in public infrastructure.

Reflection of the article

I think the article perfectly reflects the situation of Colombia as a country and the coca situation and cultivation in the country. Other than the advancement of Coca in Colombia, I feel that the article brings out an accurate picture of Colombia. First, the country is poor, with weak administration. The point can be backed by a lack of government presence in some regions, inadequate infrastructure, and provision of social amenities in some parts by illegal groups. The article is very detailed, covering many issues surrounding Colombia. By reading this article, there are many issues that I have captured. They include influence USA on internal affairs of Colombia, requirements for the growth and production of coca, the history of coca cultivation, insecurity in Colombia, poverty, why it is painful to dismantle the cartels involved in farming and selling of coca, the relationship between poverty and coca, poor governing of Colombia among others. I think even though the article focuses on the coca cultivation in Colombia, it examines the situation of Colombia as well.

Insecurity

The article highlights the insecurity situation in Colombia as it tries to explain the coca eradication efforts through fumigation. It has hinted out the process was met with a lot of violence. There is a militia group that suppresses the government effort to dismantle the coca cultivation. Their group works together with coca farmers and the surrounding population, whereby it provides social amenities like schools. The article also highlights the fact that the cartel also imposes taxes on the residents.

Historical coca background

The article captures the history of coca and the regions where it is commonly grown. According to the report, coca is produced in the Andean region, which covers Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. These regions include 98% of coca production in the world. According to this article, Colombia was able to outdo neighboring countries in the production of coca in the 1990s. The article sale highlights the primary market for coca, which includes the USA and the UK. Therefore, I feel that the central role of the article was to explain the overview of cultivation, production, and selling of coca in Colombia.

Conditions promoting coca in Colombia

The conditions favoring the cultivation of the illegal crop in Colombia are well analyzed in the article. The requirements include lack of government access, presence of cartels, ballooning effects, adequate land, and presence of militia groups. Poverty has a strong correlation with coca cultivation. The crop is used as a source of livelihood for many people in the country. By eradicating the production, many of these residents will lose living. Thus, they utilize all the efforts to retain the cultivation of the crop. The militia group also poses a threat to both the government and supporters of coca eradication, like Plan Colombia.

From the article, I also feel that Colombia is poorly governed. There is a lack of government access in remote areas. Such regions become challenging to control. Thus, they concentrate on expanding the cultivation of coca plants. More so, the article hints out that there are cartels and militia groups which provide social amenities and even collect taxes in some part of the country. A well-governed country cannot entertain such groups. More so, it should offer all public services like schools, hospitals, among others. This responsibility cannot be left out to private groups. More so, the country lacks the necessary infrastructure in various parts. The cartels take advantage of the desperate situation in the country and expand the production of coca.

What were the strengths or weaknesses of the article?

The article has many strengths, which makes it best for this paper. First, the report is detailed, covering most of the issues affecting Colombia. Coca production and eradication efforts are the main focus of the material. However, the article is authored in such a way that it covers almost every situation affecting the country. More so, it utilizes quantitative data in answers to the research questions. Therefore, it contains unique information which can be used for further research and strategizing on ways of eradicating the illegal crop in the country through addressing the public concerns. However, the article does not provide any solutions to the problems affecting the country. Further research is required to address these issues.

How did the article relate to the class?

The article relates strongly to the History of America’s Class. It covers wealth distribution inequality. Capitalism is felt in this article. Some areas can hardly be accessed due to a lack of infrastructure. More so, the history of America can be captured as they mostly lived in remote areas. The fact that the Americas are interested in doing their things independently is also captured here. Coca farmers do not entertain disturbance from either government or outside force. They want to be left out to conduct their business freely. According to me, the fight against coca eradication efforts is taken as a revolution war by the cocoa farmers. They are ready to resist any attempts by the government to disrupt their activities.