Socio-environmental conflict resolution and local development

The workshop "Taller Latinoamericano Transformación de Conflictos Socio-ambientales en Oportunidades de Desarrollo Local" (Latin American Workshop for the Transformation of Socio-Environmental Conflicts into Opportunities for Local Development) was held in Panama City, on September 9th and 10th, organized by the Instituto Cooperativo Latinoamericano (Latin American Cooperative Institute).                  

The institute is a non-profit association, founded in 1963, with the mission of contributing to the comprehensive education of women and men from the Latin American social movement, so that their organizations could strengthen the change processes aimed at achieving a quality, abundant, and equitable life in society. 

CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, supported the development of this workshop with the presentation of the subject of agro-businesses, with an emphasis on the causes that generate environmental and social conflicts in the region, the general characteristics of the businesses linked to agricultural production, of industrial processes linked to the transformation of some of them into fuels and electricity of a biological origin (biofuels and bioelectricity), of the international market trends regarding the promotion of some cultivars over others as sources of energy, as well as of the consequences that these types of investments have on the environment and local communities. 

Twenty five representatives from social movements in Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Peru participated in the workshop, and had the opportunity to receive tools for the prevention, mitigation and resolution of environmental and social conflict resulting from investments in the production of agricultural lines and their energy derivatives. CAF's analysis also reviewed the current world wide debate regarding the use of certain agricultural products that compete with traditional farm activities  for access to agricultural lands.   

It is expected that participants in the workshop return to their countries of origin as multiplier agents of the sensitivity and knowledge acquired, so that facing a possible conflict affecting the environment or society, they can manage it so that instead of turning into irreconcilable and even violent differences, they may take advantage to promote community participation in the creation and execution of agricultural investment projects.