Abstract
Indigenous communities in Colombia have been characterized by an economy of subsistence, influenced by the nomadic population that has allowed them to take advantage of the abundance of the environment in which they live and by the cultural context of these communities. The authors document a project initiative to co-create a sustainable entrepreneurship model for indigenous communities, to identify sustainable income alternatives adjusted to the culture and living conditions of indigenous people. First experiences of this project took place in La Fraguita Community in the Department of Caquetá at the south of Colombia, where a social entrepreneurship incubation process was deployed, identifying different productive activities, selecting grounded organic chili pepper as a pilot for the implementation of a culture-based and local product income alternative, with added value provided by the community.
TopIntroduction
The research project Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Indigenous Communities, arises as an initiative of Ean University´s Entrepreneurship research group, in order to determine viable opportunities for entrepreneurship and the generation of strategies and actions for the implementation of productive activities.
For the development of the project, a joint work was carried out with another EAN University´s research project and key stakeholders such as the National Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon -OPIAC- and the National Agency for Overcoming Extreme Poverty -ANSPE-, to define a methodological framework of social innovation for the Colombian territory (Adapted from Jiménez, 2017), to create a toolkit of methods and tools according to the context and nature of the project and to gather a series of recommendations for intervention in indigenous communities.
Given the current political and economic conditions of Colombia, and the wide possibilities of economic development that has Caquetá, a southeast region in the country, the diversification of its productive activities and the identification of new opportunities can allow the department not only to depend on the employment generated by the State, the small amount of agriculture and illegal mining, but to generate different alternatives to improve inhabitants´ quality of life and better conditions that can be offered to a large percentage of their population, including indigenous people, in particular, those with whom this project is carried out.
The research project seeks to co-create a model of sustainable entrepreneurship for the indigenous community JAtNEI DtONA (orphan tobacco), also named La Fragüita, located in the Municipality of San José de Fragua, in the Department of Caquetá, with the participation of all the productive actors of the community, seeking integration between the indigenous culture and productive processes that do not invade nor damage the indigenous own values and traditions. In contrast, it is an engine to strengthen their culture and customs. A process of these characteristics can only be carried out based on the identification of the capacities, resources, regional vocations, and motivations of the community, given their indigenous status. Also, all the work developed with the community must be delivered and communicated effectively, following the principles and values of the community.
With this framework, for the development and interventions of this project, a specific methodology for social innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship was designed to generate lasting impacts on the economy and quality of life of indigenous communities. Given that, the process must seek to eliminate the high dependence that indigenous communities have on the territorial and national entities present in the region. This dependence is due to several factors, among which the ones that stand out are: ignorance or lack of importance given to elements of the cultural context, lack of support for own and pertinent initiatives of indigenous communities and the fact that the strengths of the inhabitants themselves are not explored nor developed. Finally, the project seeks to generate opportunities for economic development and new alternatives for a population that, for so many years, was mired in the violence that the country experienced.
This work presents a qualitative model based on an exploratory study that exposes a review of the current situation of the indigenous population, specifically with the community of La Fragüita. It also describes the methodological proposal based on social innovation to identify a sustainable entrepreneurial project and finally describes the experiences lived on the field´s visits and conclusions of the most significant achievements.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Casabe: Type of bread made from cassava flour whose preparation and consumption dates back to pre-Hispanic times in America.
Maloka: Ancestral communal house, where the heart is collectively cleansed, and the spirit is released; stories, myths, rites, customs, and customs are transmitted orally; advice is given to children, youth and adults; the way of working the chagra (orchard), the mother tongue, the hunting, the crafts are taught; The positive and negative aspects of each day's work are analyzed and reflected; wisdom is planned, organized and shared; the body, mind, and spirit of people and the environment are healed; restorative justice is legislated and imparted.
ANSPE: Agency for Overcoming Extreme Poverty. Colombian State strategy to give a comprehensive response to the multidimensionality of extreme poverty.
Ambil: Tobacco mixed with vegetables and salt, that with a cooking process is transformed into a black paste that is used in the word circle sessions. Both women and men use Ambil.
Word Circle: A millenary tradition used by Indigenous People of Colombia. The purpose is to transmit knowledge from oral tradition. It is the only way for tradition to last, to transmit it from generation to generation, is like spinning a craft in time, the DNA and genetics of a person. Through this process, which has the following order, LISTEN, ASK, and THEN REFLECT, all the issues of a community, their development, thoughts, and customs are agreed upon.
Mambe: Coca powder that is obtained after roasting, grinding, and sifting process out of coca leaves and ashes, which has healing and nutritional properties, in addition to the sacred power that is granted to it by the Colombian indigenous people. Men only use Mambe in the word circle session. It helps to boost them and give them energy in these social meetings.
OPIAC: The National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon, is a nonprofit indigenous public law institution that exercises a political representation of the indigenous peoples of the Colombian Amazon before institutions of National and International orders.
Chagras: Spaces or areas for agriculture in indigenous cultures that may have temporary and perennial crops with a production period that varies depending on climate and cultural specificities of each indigenous community.