Interview with Anamaria Patiño Salgado
Executive Director of the Fedecacao Foundation (Colombia)
Embedded Files
Anamaria Patiño Salgado
Executive Director of the Fedecacao Foundation (Colombia)
Anamaria Patiño Salgado is a Political Scientist and specialist in International Cooperation and Development Project Management, with more than ten years of experience in public and private institutions in Colombia.
She has led social, environmental, and productive projects related to rural development, sustainability, social inclusion, and institutional strengthening. Her professional background includes positions at FEDECACAO, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Territorial Renewal Agency, and the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA), where she has coordinated territorial strategies, interinstitutional partnerships, and national and international cooperation processes.
She has strong skills in leadership, project formulation, strategic monitoring, communication, and teamwork. In addition, she has extensive experience in public policy, community development, and resource management for social impact initiatives. She is also highly experienced in institutional coordination and comprehensive program evaluation.
Considering your background in political science and international cooperation, how has your academic and professional experience shaped a strategic vision for leading sustainable territorial development processes through the Fedecacao Foundation?
My background in political science and international cooperation allowed me to understand that territorial development cannot be approached solely from a productive or economic perspective. Territories are complex ecosystems where social, environmental, institutional, and cultural factors converge and must be understood in an integrated manner.
This perspective has been fundamental in shaping the intervention model of the Fedecacao Foundation, where we understand cocoa not only as a crop, but also as a tool for social transformation and sustainable rural development. Our approach seeks to strengthen the capacities of cocoa-growing communities, promote family well-being, encourage sustainable practices, and create real opportunities for women, youth, and rural producers.
International cooperation also enabled me to recognize the importance of building strategic partnerships, measuring impact, and developing projects that are sustainable over time by bringing together public, private, and community stakeholders around shared objectives.
As Executive Director, how is this territorial development approach — integrating social, productive, environmental, and institutional dimensions — implemented in practice through the Foundation’s projects within cocoa-growing communities?
Our territorial development approach is implemented through comprehensive projects designed to address multiple dimensions of community life simultaneously. We understand that it is not possible to speak of productive sustainability without social well-being, nor of economic growth without environmental sustainability.
In practice, this means working on productive strengthening and income generation while also promoting community leadership processes, the inclusion of women and youth, environmental education, organizational strengthening, and institutional coordination.
The Foundation works directly with families and communities, promoting solutions built from within the territory itself and respecting community autonomy.
In addition, we coordinate efforts with public institutions, private companies, academia, and international cooperation partners to deliver sustainable interventions with meaningful and lasting impact.
The Fedecacao Foundation serves as a coordinator among multiple stakeholders. In this regard, what have been the main challenges and lessons learned in fostering collaboration between the public sector, private sector, and international cooperation partners to generate sustainable impact in rural territories?
One of the main challenges has been aligning stakeholders with different perspectives, timelines, and priorities around a shared purpose. However, this has also been one of the greatest lessons learned: understanding that sustainable transformation is only possible through collaboration.
Today, companies, international cooperation agencies, and public institutions are moving toward more comprehensive sustainability models, where social, environmental, and economic impacts must be measurable and generate shared value. In this context, the Fedecacao Foundation plays an important role as a bridge between the real needs of communities and the capacities of different partners.
We have learned that territories themselves must remain at the center of any strategy, and that listening to communities is essential for building sustainable and legitimate projects.
Regarding the human and social development component, which strategies have proven most effective in strengthening community ties, promoting coexistence, and preventing violence in the regions where the Foundation operates?
The most effective strategies have been those that strengthen the sense of community and encourage the active participation of people in territorial transformation processes. We have identified that community-based psychosocial support, leadership spaces, the participation of women and youth, and cultural and community activities generate significant impacts on coexistence and the strengthening of the social fabric.
It has also been essential to foster environments of trust, dialogue, and shared responsibility, where communities recognize themselves as protagonists of their own development.
Within the area of productivity and value addition, how are you addressing the strengthening of productive units and rural associativity to improve the economic conditions of cocoa producers and their families?
At the Foundation, we promote the strengthening of productive, organizational, and commercial capacities among cocoa-growing families. We work through training processes, technical assistance, financial education, associativity, and value-added initiatives, seeking to ensure that producers can access greater economic opportunities and more sustainable markets.
Likewise, we support initiatives related to processing, rural entrepreneurship, and the strengthening of associative models that help generate stronger and more sustainable local economies within the territories.
What role do innovation, research, and knowledge transfer play in improving the quality of Colombian cocoa and in creating greater opportunities for access to fair and inclusive markets?
Innovation and knowledge transfer are essential for strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of the cocoa sector. From the Foundation, we promote collaboration with universities, experts, and technical partners to bring tools, methodologies, and knowledge closer to local communities.
In addition, we believe that innovation should not only be understood from a technological perspective, but also through the development of more inclusive, sustainable, and territorially adapted social and productive models.
In terms of environmental sustainability, what agricultural practices and climate action strategies is the Foundation promoting to ensure the conservation of ecosystems in cocoa-growing regions?
We promote sustainable agricultural practices focused on agroforestry systems, soil and water source conservation, responsible waste management, reduction of environmental impacts, and climate change adaptation.
Our goal is to strengthen production models that protect ecosystems while also ensuring economic sustainability for producer families. We understand that the future of cocoa depends directly on our ability to preserve the territories where it is cultivated.
The Foundation promotes principles such as sustainability, shared responsibility, and respect for community autonomy. In this context, what actions are being taken, and what value does the tourism industry bring to the Foundation’s work?
The tourism industry represents a significant opportunity to highlight the social, cultural, and environmental value of cocoa-growing territories. Cocoa is not only an agricultural product; it is also identity, history, tradition, and cultural heritage.
From the Foundation’s perspective, there is enormous potential in strengthening rural and community-based tourism experiences that can generate complementary income for families, promote recognition of local communities, and showcase the work of cocoa producers.
In addition, sustainable tourism can become a powerful tool to connect the world with stories of territorial transformation, sustainability, and peacebuilding.
How does the Foundation contribute to strengthening cocoa value chains, particularly in processes related to value addition, certifications, and the positioning of cocoa products in national and international markets?
We work to strengthen the technical, organizational, and commercial capacities that improve producers’ competitiveness and facilitate value-added processes.
We promote initiatives related to cocoa processing, associative strengthening, market access, quality and food safety standards, as well as strategic partnerships that support progress toward certification processes and the sustainable positioning of Colombian cocoa.
Our objective is to contribute to a more inclusive, sustainable, and competitive value chain at both the national and international levels.
Regarding psychosocial support and the promotion of community well-being, what concrete impacts have you observed in the quality of life of producers and their families as a result of the Foundation’s interventions?
We have observed significant impacts related to community strengthening, increased participation of women and youth, the recovery of community gathering spaces, stronger local leadership, and improved perceptions of well-being and social cohesion.
When communities feel supported, recognized, and provided with opportunities, transformation processes emerge that go far beyond economic outcomes. Community well-being also strengthens productive sustainability and encourages families to remain in their territories.
How are communication and visibility strategies for the cocoa sector managed in order to strengthen its positioning and recognition at both the national and international levels?
Communication plays a fundamental role in transforming narratives surrounding rural communities and the cocoa sector. From the Foundation, we work on visibility strategies that highlight the human, social, and environmental value behind Colombian cocoa.
We seek to showcase the stories, capacities, and contributions of cocoa-growing communities, strengthening their positioning and generating greater national and international recognition for the sector.
Based on your experience leading high-impact projects, what key elements do you consider essential to ensure that initiatives are sustainable, scalable, and truly transformative in complex rural contexts?
I believe there are several fundamental elements: listening to the territory, designing projects based on the real needs of communities, building strong strategic partnerships, measuring impact, and ensuring both financial and social sustainability.
It is also essential to understand that projects cannot rely solely on external resources; they must strengthen local capacities and foster community ownership in order to remain sustainable over time.
What role do strategic partnerships and international cooperation play in expanding the capacities of the Fedecacao Foundation and consolidating its territorial intervention model?
Strategic partnerships and international cooperation are essential for expanding technical, financial, and institutional capacities. Today, rural challenges require comprehensive and coordinated responses in which different stakeholders contribute their expertise, resources, and knowledge.
International cooperation also provides methodologies, sustainability approaches, and innovation frameworks that strengthen our intervention model and enable us to generate broader and more sustainable impacts within the territories.
Finally, from your leadership perspective, what is the future vision of the Fedecacao Foundation in terms of social impact, productive strengthening, and comprehensive sustainability within Colombia’s cocoa-growing communities?
Our vision is to consolidate the Fedecacao Foundation as a national and international benchmark in sustainable rural development for cocoa-growing communities, integrating social impact, productive strengthening, environmental sustainability, and the creation of opportunities for rural families.
We aim to continue building partnerships that contribute to transforming territories, strengthening community well-being, and positioning Colombian cocoa as a driver of sustainable development, inclusion, and social transformation.
We express our sincere gratitude to Anamaria Patiño Salgado, General Director of Fundación FEDECACAO, for sharing her strategic vision on sustainable territorial development, community strengthening, and environmental sustainability in Colombia’s cocoa-producing regions.
Her reflections highlight the Foundation’s commitment to social transformation, rural inclusion, and the creation of partnerships that generate real impact within local territories. From Tourism and Society Think Tank (TSTT), we recognize the immense value of her work and our strong interest in fostering joint collaboration to promote sustainable tourism initiatives, community-based rural experiences, international visibility for Colombian cocoa, and social innovation projects focused on the well-being of producer communities.
The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of the facts contained in this document and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of Tourism and Society Think Tank and do not commit the Organization, and should not be attributed to TSTT or its members.
This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies.
Report abuse