Farm info

Olivia Achipiz’s farm La Primavera is in the township of Las Veranias. It is a three hectare farm where Olivia and her father reside and where Olivia was born. The family was displaced from their previous home and settled in San Luis 35 years ago. The family started planting corn and cane sugar and then began planting coffee 20 years ago. Following the local pattern, coffee production became the main crop for the Achipiz family to earn a living and remains so today.

The remoteness of the farms in San Luis Tierradentro means that sometimes people do not leave their homes and farms for two or more weeks, in which case they store or produce crops to feed themselves. The coffee harvesting became an important ritual and devotion that united the refugees displaced from other parts of Colombia and the locals to create an atmosphere where everyone is equal.

La Primavera is located near the Tierradentro National Archeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The land around Tierradentro is rich with history dating back to pre-Columbian civilizations and its topography and climate conditions make it well suited to growing many crops.

Region

Cauca

The Colombian department of Cauca lies in the southwestern part of the country, with the Pacific Ocean to the west, Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department to the northeast, Huila Department to the east, and Nariño, Putumayo, and Caqueta Departments to the south. Many rivers traverse Cauca and the Central Range of the Andes Mountains runs through the department. Popayan is the capital city and Cauca’s population is distributed throughout the rural highlands and valleys.