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Cited by 4Conflict, Peace, and Violence in ColombiaHistory and Politics in Latin AmericaLatin American rural development

Land, cows, and bullets: An untold history of cattle ranching during the armed conflict in Colombia, 1980–2010

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Triana Ángel, Natalia, Burkart, Stefan, Pazos Cárdenas, Mateo·2024·Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
DOI 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1374861
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Abstract

This article reflects on the history of cattle ranching in Colombia and how it was impacted by the armed conflict in the country and its regions, and the transformation amongst decades of forms of violence and actors involved in this scenario. To conduct the analysis, a review of academic literature on the relationship between cattle ranching and armed conflict in Colombia and some African countries was carried out. Subsequently, a database of 206 violent events related to cattle ranching was constructed, covering three decades of armed conflict (1980–2010), based on primary sources from reports, police evidence, and testimonies of two previous databases. This database contributed to the analysis of the impact of violence on the cattle ranching industry. Thus, this article contributes to the understanding of the history of cattle ranching in Colombia and to the complex transitional process in Colombia today. It demonstrates that productivity and efficiency have not always been the prevailing principles in the history of the cattle industry, but that land tenure and accumulation have operated as a way of securing power by the agrarian and political elites of the country. Such approaches are crucial for comprehending the historical connection between conflict and cattle ranching, especially if the aim for this sector is to adapt to a logic of productivity and innovation in the contemporary world. Also, the findings show that further research on these topics, i.e., related to current environmental and social problems such as climate change, food security, and new social and geopolitical challenges, is needed.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1374861

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  • It employs many men as rural workers, but the land becomes increasingly controlled by a few largeholders, absent elites that often hire paramilitary gunmen to secure their properties.

    “It employs many men as rural workers, but the land becomes increasingly controlled by a few largeholders, absent elites that often hire paramilitary gunmen to secure their properties (Triana Ángel et al, 2024).”

    From Beyond the “supply chain” framing: Cattle ranching as a vanishing mediator of deforestation and dispossession in the Brazilian and Colombian Amazon (2026) · cites this paper as Triana Ángel et al., 2024

    The Discussion (page unavailable) describes land accumulation and dispossession by paramilitary groups, support for them from some large landowners, and their purported protection of private property. It does not establish that cattle ranching employs many men as rural workers, that those landowners were absent, or that they often hired paramilitary gunmen to secure their properties. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • The goal over the years has also been to curb illicit coca planting in the northern Amazon region and replace it with cattle ranching.

    “Crucially, the goal over the years has also been to curb illicit coca planting in the northern Amazon region (e.g.Putumayo and Caquetá) and replace it with cattle ranching (Murillo-Sandoval et al., 2022;Triana Ángel et al, 2024).”

    From Beyond the “supply chain” framing: Cattle ranching as a vanishing mediator of deforestation and dispossession in the Brazilian and Colombian Amazon (2026) · cites this paper as Triana Ángel et al., 2024

    The historical and conceptual framework mentions government glyphosate spraying against illicit crops, but says it harmed rural cattle projects. The Discussion describes illicit crops and cattle ranching as separate activities in agricultural colonization. Neither passage says there was a goal to replace coca cultivation with cattle ranching in Putumayo, Caquetá, or the northern Amazon; searches for those terms and crop substitution found no such passage. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. Arias, M. A., Ibáñez, A. M., and Zambrano, A. (2014). Agricultural Production Amid Conflict: The Effects of Shock, Uncertainty, and Governance of Non-State Armed Actors. Documentos CEDE 011005. Bogotá: Universidad de los Andes. doi: 10.57784/1992/8452 · DOI
  2. Burkart, S., Enciso, K., van der Hoek, R., and Díaz, M. (2021). Economic Benefits of Sustainable, Forage-Based Cattle Systems in Latin America. Business Model Brief. Nairobi: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. Available at: https://hdl.handle. net/10568/116195 (accessed July 31, 2024).
  3. Dago, E. (2021). Armed Conflicts and Food Insecurity-a Short Literature Review.
  4. Mwendia, S., Notenbaert, A., and Araba, D. (2018). How Forage Production Can Play a Role in Nigeria's Nomadic/Farm-Holders' Conflict. International Center fort Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/90674 (accessed July 31, 2024).
  5. Romero-Rodríguez, A. (2019). Impacto del conflicto armado sobre la productividad de la ganadería en Colombia (Master's thesis). Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
  6. Ronderos, M. T. (2014). Guerras recicladas. Bogotá: Penguin Random House.
  7. Toruño Morales, I. (2012). Análisis financiero-económico de fincas con varias actividades productivas y el rol de la familia en la producción y toma de decisiones en el Centro Norte de Nicaragua (Master's thesis). CATIE, Cartago, Costa Rica.
  8. Triana Ángel, N., and Burkart, S. (2019). Between Silences and Opportunities Gender and Bovine Livestock in Latin America, a State of the Question. International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/101292 (accessed July 31, 2024).

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Authors
Triana Ángel, N., Burkart, S., & Pazos Cárdenas, M.
Affiliations
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (KE)
ORCID
Burkart, Stefan
Venue
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2024-08-15
Volume
8
ISSN
2571-581X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fsufs.2024.1374861
OpenAlex
W4401622949
Cited by
4
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 1
FWCI
2.86
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • CGSPace A Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Conflict, Peace, and Violence in Colombia
  • Social Sciences › Demography › History and Politics in Latin America
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › General Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Latin American rural development
Keywords
cattle ranching, armed conflict, Colombia, land tenure, land accumulation, agrarian elites, political elites, post-conflict transition, livestock industry, food security, climate change

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