Organic Fresh Fruits and Vegetables from Colombia Note: The project has been cancelled, because the project has not been implemented as originally proposed.Organic farming has outgrown the exotic/curiosity phase of the first years, to become a serious market niche, and demand for organic fruit and vegetables is increasing continuously, particularly in Western European markets. To be able to supply the consumers year round, European producers and traders are increasingly importing organic produce from other parts of the world.Following this strategy, "Biotoon" (brand name of Van Vilsteren), one of the pioneers in organic agriculture in the Netherlands, decided to cooperate with Potosi from Colombia, who owns a farm close to Bucaramanga.Partners will set up a joint venture to implement a fully organic certified farm, to produce fruits and vegetables. A new post-harvest centre, with processing/packing line and cold store will be build next to the farm, to guarantee a fully certified organic chain from farm to table.This will be the first certified organic farm in Colombia, dedicated at the export of onions, pumpkins, melons and papaya.Simultaneously, fifteen small farmers will be supported to implement organic farming on their own land, and contracted to supply products to the joint venture.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)CSR will be embedded naturally in the project through organic certification. The joint venture will however also implement a formal CSR policy, largely based on the experience of the local partner with small farmers associations, in the region formerly affected by the FARC conflict. The outgrowers scheme will actually derive from these groups.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsThe project will create 19 permanent direct jobs and 76 seasonal (50%) jobs, or 38 FTE (total: 57 FTE), and this will grow to 85 FTE, two years later.The wages paid will be at least 10% above the legal minimum wage. Its full-time staff will enjoy legal social benefits which include health insurance, pension fund contribution and unemployment benefits.•	Innovation/Transfer of knowledgeThe cultivation technology, according to international organic certification standards, is new for Colombia. The Applicant is one of the frontrunners in the Netherlands on organic agriculture, and will transfer state-of-the-art knowledge to own staff and outgrowers.•	Chain effectsOnion, pumpkin and melon growing contracts will be signed with 15 farmers. The contract farmers will receive the seedlings and compost fertilizer, whilst continuous technical assistance is provided for free. It is expected that they can earn a clean 3,000 euro per hectare per year, after deduction of all costs.•	EnvironmentThe impact of the project on the environment will be minimal, as the basic principle of organic agriculture focuses on the sustainability and minimizing the ecological footprint. This is reflected in their policies regarding recycling of waste products; improvement of the soil structure, providing better fertility; reducing water usage; reducing (ground) water pollution; reducing amount of pesticides used.•	Position of womenTen out of the 19 permanent staff to be contracted are expected to be women. To set up a certified organic production farm, that will produce onions, melons, pumpkins and papaya, as well as a post-harvest facility that will process and pack the products for export to Europe.