SHOTLIST CUCAITA, COLOMBIA (JULY 4, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL) 1. POTATO FIELDS IN VILLAGE OF PIJAOS 2. FARMER WALKING TO FIELD WITH HIS HORSE 3. FARMER WALKING TO FIELD 4. VARIOUS OF FARMERS WORKING IN FIELDS WITH TRADITIONAL TOOLS 5. CLOSE-UP OF POTATOES BEING HARVESTED FROM SOIL 6. VARIOUS OF DRY, DAMAGED CROPS DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS 7. FARMERS LOADING POTATOES INTO SACKS 8. VARIOUS OF FARMERS FERTILIZING POTATO FIELD USING TRADITIONAL METHODS 9. VARIOUS OF POTATO FIELDS IN VILLAGE OF PIJAOS 10. FARMER HARVESTING POTATOES BY HAND (2 SHOTS) 11. SACKED POTATOES 12. FARMER SHOWING HARVESTED POTATOES TO CAMERA 13. (SOUNBITE) (Spanish) FARMER SOCRATES ROMULO OTALORA ECHAVARRIA, SAYIN: "Previously, a lot of wheat and barley, peas, corn were cultivated. And they took it from us, most of it was taken by Idema, wheat and Idema. But unfortunately the bad governments made it disappear, and in the markets those cereals no longer gave profitability. So we had to choose not to plant anymore. Right now it's at 40 thousand pesos per load, and the best price a year ago, a long year, was at 250. But then unfortunately at that time most of us here, the small farmers, didn't have it. For example, the big farmers, the big ones, these were the ones who took advantage. As you can see, here we have the seed, almost ready to plant. This is a variety we work with here, it's called unique. Even though food is cheap right now, today little potatoes, well what more can we do if our craft, our ancestors left it to us, my parents, my grandparents, they come with that idea of working, of supporting the family, well we follow the example. Well, it's taken out, some is chosen for the market, another for eating, and from there the best seeds are also selected. As a farmer knows, the seeds if you put them so they give us for consumption, from there you put them to sprout. It lasts approximately four months, from 120 days to 150 days there are to plant. We as farmers suffer many setbacks, or many things, like at this moment, you see, here we call it drop, I don't know the scientific name, but we as farmers know it's drop, because you know it burns the little plants, we know it's not drop, it's like this. You have to put a lot of insecticide... and fungicide on the potato, for this. And as we see at this moment, that's why we have the little drizzle and everything, the weather influences don't let us make a good application. And those are the consequences, if you see those potatoes that burn, that no longer thickens, a lot of third-grade comes out. What does it depend on? It gives a little because at the moment the situation of the potato crop is so low that you have to put a lot of product on it. At this moment there isn't much potato, much money, to buy good liquids, but more than anything it's this that includes us, all this that burns our little potato. Well, we here, especially, develop potato planting, even though it goes badly for us, but we'll have to keep planting it."CUCAITA, COLOMBIA - JULY 4: On World Rural Development Day, observed on Friday, July 4, potato farmers in the village of Pijaos, located in the Andean municipality of Cucaita in central Colombia, are confronting a deepening crisis that threatens both their livelihoods and cultural heritage. A combination of adverse factors including invasive pests, declining market prices, rising input costs, erratic weather patterns, and limited government support has placed unprecedented pressure on local producers. This crisis has been compounded by a series of free trade agreements (FTAs) signed by Colombia since 1994, most notably the 2012 accord with the United States. These deals have opened the domestic market to heavily subsidized agricultural imports, creating an uneven playing field and severely undermining the long-term sustainability of the country’s potato sector. Despite these mounting challenges, the farmers of Cucaita continue to cultivate their land with determination and pride. For them, potato farming is not merely a source of income but a way of life deeply rooted in tradition and central to the region’s cultural and culinary identity.