Alexis González has been surrounded by coffee since she was a child, but it wasn’t until she was 37 with three children that she took up the coffee growing tradition from her parents. Her coffee parcel is located in Montañita, an area of the Caqueta that is not well known for its coffee production.
“Caqueta doesn’t get much recognition as a coffee region because most of our coffee gets sold in Huila. It’s as if our production comes from that department. But Florencia and Montañita have quite a few coffee growers; in the mountain area there is a lot of coffee,” she says.
Alexis got married when she was 15 years old – having moved away from the family farm to study – and has been with her partner, Oswaldo, for more than 20 years. Like her own mother, she became accustomed to taking care of the household while Oswaldo worked the land, made decisions about the crops, and supported the family.
Amazonia Connect plants the seeds of equality for rural women
Since joining Amazonia Connect, Alexis has taken on a greater role in the family’s decision making and on the farm. Equipped with new knowledge, her voice as a coffee grower is being heard.
“Solidaridad’s support has been very helpful to us. We participated in several talks and have many future projects, such as setting up plant nurseries,” said Alexis, who leads an association of women coffee farmers.”
“They have helped us become stronger. Here in rural areas there are some women who never finished their studies and those of us who were able to are often not recognized.”
Alexis has received training on sustainable agricultural practices, including the preparation of cultivating seedlings and germination, allowing her to control plant development and select healthy seedlings for cultivation. Additionally, she has learned about coffee marketing. She also joined with other women to start an orchard in a small plot where they grow fruits and vegetables that contribute to their families’ food independence.
In its second year, Amazonia Connect continues to be a catalyst for positive change in the Amazon region of Colombia. Since the start of the effort in 2022, roughly 1,500 people have received technical training on low-carbon agricultural practices. The initiative promotes gender equality, along with economic development that protects fragile ecosystems.
Winds of change for women
For Alexis, the changes spurred through Amazonia Connect have helped undo preconceptions around women and their role. Alexis first learned about the initiative at a meeting in the town of Norcasia. Some time later, an invitation to visit Colombia’s ‘coffee axis’ was sent to her, but she never received it.
“My husband told me he hadn’t let me know about the trip because he considered it a waste of time,” Alexis said. “However, when I told my children, the eldest two said it was a very good opportunity and encouraged me not to miss out.”
Alexis went on the visit and it was the first step on a difficult path to step out of the long shadow of ‘machismo’ that is rooted in Colombian agriculture. Like Alexis’ children, who encouraged her to pursue the opportunity, the younger generations in Caqueta now recognize that women’s role in rural development is on an equal level with men. Looking back, Alexis recognizes that her own mother suffered from abuse.
“My father was the one to sell the harvest, and every time he got paid would come back home drunk. When my mother did not finish a chore or simply did not have a warm meal waiting for him when he came home, he mistreated her,” Alexis remembers sadly. “For me and my brothers, as children, it was very hard to see that reality.”
Today, along with the other women in her association, Alexis realizes that she is more than just a support figure. “Now, I feel more valued, because the knowledge has helped me. I keep notes from each training we have and then show them to Oswaldo so that he sees how the learnings can be put into practice.
“It’s not a waste of time, as he said at the beginning.”
Alexis González’s story reflects the real-world impact of education, training and a willingness to embrace change. Together with Amazonia Connect, Alexis has not only transformed her own life, but she has inspired other women in her community to contribute to sustainable coffee farming, while moving on from traditional gender roles.
About Amazonia Connect
Amazonia Connect was a partnership between USAID, Solidaridad, Earth Innovation Institute, National Wildlife Federation, and the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Together with USAID’s Amazon Regional Environment Program, producers, companies, local governments and financial institutions, Amazonia Connect promotes and scales the adoption of low-emission commodity production to improve biodiversity conservation and climate resilience in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. The initiative was canceled in 2025 in its third year of implementation when USAID was phased out.
