Course lecturer: Prof. Dr. Vanessa Boanada Fuchs
Course outline: Agricultural sustainability paired with social inclusion incentives have been one of the pillars of pacification strategies promoted in Colombia for maintaining social cohesion and providing producers with viable sources of income alternative to the lucrative coca business. Cacao and Coffee for Peace are international collaboration projects promoted by the Colombian Government with USAID and other agencies technical assistance. The projects target historical conflict zones, offering training for crops substitution and quality improvement in additiona to connections with the international market for premium prices. The project promotes financial stability for many rural families and contributes towards peace keeping. Despite of the scope and relative success of the project, in 2020 coca plantation reached record peaks in Colombia.
The course aims to analyse the ʺfor peaceʺ projectsʹ socio‑development impact and instigate the students to investigate the complex interplay between the international value chains of legal and illegal uses of commodities such as coca, cacao and coffee.
Dates and Special Application Procedure
Dates: April 5-7, 2022
Special application procedure:
Bidding starts mid of January and ends February 16 based on a Special Application Procedure
Please, send a short email to GIMLA with the headline "3XC Colombia" outlining in a couple of sentences your specific interest and motivation of joining this Latam Compact. Please also indicate your current status (your specialization at the HSG and if currently on exchange in Latin America or not).
We advise doing so early after the official bidding starts in order to leave enough time for the selection of the applicants and confirmation of the places. The course is open to all bachelor students from the different HSG Schools. HSG students currently in exchange in Latin America are especially encouraged to apply and are granted special permission to acquire the ECTS for this course upon successful completion.
Fees and Further Information
3 ECTS in Contextual Studies (Cultures)
Open to all Bachelor students of the University of St.Gallen. HSG students currently in exchange in Latin America are especially encouraged to apply and are granted special permission to acquire the ECTS for this course upon successful completion.
Fees: The course is free, but students must bear the costs of an international flight and local accommodation and transportation during the trip. More concrete estimates will be communicated in early 2022, but we hope to organize the trip at a cost of approx. CHF 500 - 600 in addition to the flight cost.