WE MET MARKUS from Palenque Tours in Medellín in November 2015, when he asked us to video some of the important community projects happening in Colombia. A week later we visited a farm for the day in the small community of San Francisco, 2 hours south of Medellín. Colombian farmers Gildardo and Margarita shared their story with us: Guerrilla groups forced their family and friends from their homes when they refused to produce coca, the plant used in the production of cocaine. Slowly they rebuilt their lives and their new farm, with assistance from the United Nations, by growing cacao. Cacao in the region has not only produced high-quality chocolate, but these community initiatives allow tourism to now play an important role in sharing and supporting sustainable progress with the world.

Source: matadornetwork.com