October 2005–September 2010

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DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE:

Since the launch of Plan Colombia in 1999, U.S. government assistance to Colombia in the fight against illicit production, drug trafficking, and guerilla activity has represented the biggest aid package outside the Middle East and Afghanistan.  The historic absence of the state presence in significant parts of Colombia, combined with poor agricultural policies and weak institutions to help farmers grow legitimate crops, has been exploited by drug networks to attract poor landholders and farm laborers into an extraordinarily powerful illicit drug sector.

To combat this problem the Government has formulated a national strategy, Plan Colombia, with three end goals: (1) order to enforce laws and penalize illegal activity; (2) opportunities to provide viable economic alternatives to illicit activities; and (3) governance to effectively respond to the needs of its citizens. The United States, via the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been a long-standing partner of the Government of Colombia to promote alternative development (AD) that focuses on the latter two goals. AD addresses the problem that people in isolated communities, with little or no state presence and limited economic options are more likely to cultivate illicit crops.

APPROACH:
The USAID-financed Municipal-Level Alternative Development (ADAM) Program funds activities that provide incentives for Colombian citizens—in some of the most marginalized areas of the country—to remain part of, or rejoin, a legal culture. Working closely with the Presidential Agency, Acción Social, it implements a highly participatory and sustainable model of alternative development that provides tangible incentives for Colombian citizens to be part of the licit culture. As a prerequisite for participation in the ADAM activities, all beneficiary communities sign "illicit crop free" agreements. Part of ADAM's work, particularly within its infrastructure component, involves vulnerable populations and families displaced from their homes by violence.

ADAM works directly with municipal government and community-based organizations in 11 Departments of Colombia to promote and implement agricultural economic and infrastructure initiatives. The ADAM development model empowers communities to improve their own lives through economic and political partnerships at every level of Colombian Government. The ADAM model is the first development initiative in Colombia that integrates (1) improving agricultural production and marketing; (2) strengthening local government; and (3) improving the social and productive infrastructure.

The 5-year contract (2005–2010) valued at $184 million works with 73 municipal governments and over 1,400 social organizations to strengthen their capabilities to provide basic services and implement economic development activities.
The project is implemented by a consortium led by ARD, Inc., with major partners Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), The Services Group (TSG), J.E. Austin, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, and others. Project implementation is conducted through 7 regional offices in Cauca, Nariño, Huila, Tolima, Putumayo, Magdalena Medio, and Antioquia. The ADAM central office in Bogotá has ranged in size from 187 technical and service staff at its peak in 2009 to its current 98 employees providing managerial, technical, and administrative support to a decentralized operation these seven regional offices. 

One hundred and fifty-six social and productive infrastructure projects have been undertaken throughout the country benefiting 36,267 Colombian citizens. The social and productive infrastructure initiative has constructed schools (72); water and sanitation (30); roads (14); housing (13); recreation centers (11); productive infrastructure (9); and others in electricity networking, health, and solid waste management.

Municipal strengthening is improving the delivery of public services, financial management, and municipal planning, while social organizational strengthening supports project planning, resources management, improved citizen participation, and improved services to their associates. Organizations benefiting from ADAM support are community action boards, associations for vulnerable populations, agricultural producer organizations, and community radio stations. In total, over 66,000 people have benefited from ADAM project through development  activities in  literacy (14,769); health education and conflict resolution (10,133); democracy and citizen participation (1,317); reading (6,393); municipal council training (6,754),; preventative health campaigns (7,910); public administration reform (159); training of community radio stations (298); citizen security (626); and rural sports (1028).

Please visit the ADAM project website at http://www.adam.org.co/.