The village of El 25 is driving a rural transformation based on crop substitution and the strengthening of fine-flavored and aromatic cacao. This initiative has been made possible thanks to the joint work of the Cúcuta Mayor's Office, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Federación Nacional De Cacaoteros de Colombia (FEDECACAO)
ASOCA25, located in the village of El 25 in the Banco de Arena district, brings together farming families who have chosen to abandon illicit crops to build a legal economy based on cacao and agroforestry systems.
Since 2022, the Cúcuta Mayor's Office, UNODC and FEDECACAO have provided technical support, supplies, plant material and tools to facilitate this crop substitution process.
FEDECACAO has strengthened the capacities of local producers, teaching techniques from seed to harvest, contributing to increased cacao quality.
Today, the project has successfully established between 50 and 52 hectares of agroforestry systems with cacao, plantain and abarco, generating legal, profitable and sustainable alternatives for the community.
The recent delivery of a truck has further facilitated logistics, reducing costs and increasing the region's competitiveness.
As a result of strengthening production, ASOCA25 developed its first chocolate bar prototype and participated in Chocoshow 2025, taking its product to a commercial scale.
The success of the experience in El 25 demonstrates that crop substitution is viable when community, institutional and technical work is coordinated.
At an event held at the Cúcuta City Hall, ASOCA25 expressed its gratitude for the support that has allowed them to make significant progress in crop substitution and building a solid legal economy.
The next steps of the agreement aim to integrate more families, expand the infrastructure and ensure ongoing technical support to definitively consolidate the transition to legal economies.
