President Juan Manuel Santos has uprooted the first coca plant in a major new crop substitution scheme in former areas of influence of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Farc). The scheme, formulated by the government and the Farc, aims not just to strike a telling blow against drug-trafficking by eradicating 50,000 hectares of coca over the next year – triple the total amount manually eradicated last year – but also to transform rural life. It is ambitious, and it faces significant challenges. Many small farmers, campesinos, distrust the government. They are also coming under pressure from other illegal armed groups filling the vacuum left by the Farc to retain their coca crops and not to participate in the scheme.End of preview - This article contains approximately 995 words.
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