The Asociación de Campesinos del Bajo Cauca (ASOCBAC) is a peasant farmer organisation working with the communities of Bajo Cauca and its surrounding areas. Formed in 2008, ASOCBAC offers a political and social alternative and seeks to become a decisive actor in overcoming both armed and social conflict, the consequences of which the communities of Bajo Cauca suffer daily. The organisation is committed to creating a reality where peace and an advanced democracy reign.
The organisation is a grassroots movement that operates in the rural parts of Valdivia, Tarazá, Cáceres, Caucasia, Nechí, Bagre, Zaragoza and Ituango. The normal form of decision making is through an assembly system which allows for all members to learn to lead and act collectively.
Through ASOCBAC, the efforts of the local community – represented through community action committees, cooperatives, and various other groupings of rural workers – are brought together to promote the defence of human rights and International Humanitarian Law.
The Asociación carries out community projects with the fundamental aim of improving the quality of life for the inhabitants of the region. The community projects focus on activities promoting community self-sufficiency, practical training and relevant research programmes. Through these projects ASOCBAC seeks the improvement in the quality of life at a material, economic, social, political and cultural level.
More specifically, the projects centre around the following objectives:
- The defence of human rights.
- Ensuring constant attention to the internal displacement of the peasant farmers.
- The implementation of productive projects guaranteeing food security.
- The defence and conservation of natural resources and the environment.
- The resolution of social and economic imbalances in the region.
