I came here when I was three years old. Everything was natural. And there were very few people around. Everything was the Amazon jungle. My heart and soul are here.
Then the 80s arrived, and that’s when the coca came in as well as a lot of people from other areas. They started cutting down the forests to plant coca plants to have a better income for their families.
Then came the airplanes, which fumigated the plants with glyphosate. And because the airplanes were fumigating from above, they also fumigated our pasture lands, our food crops. The plantain, the yucca, everything died.
After the fumigations, we were supposed to start working with cattle and livestock on our land. But the switch to livestock completely transformed the landscape. What we saw was that more clear cutting, more deforestation was taking place to make room for the animals.
So, with the help of the foundation – the Platform of Women in the Department of Caqueta – we said we wanted to start reforestation efforts. And maybe provide more resources so people don’t have to do the clear cutting.
I really love nature. And for years now, I’ve seen that the trees are disappearing, because they’re cut down, and seeds are disappearing. And so, I go to the areas where the trees are disappearing, and I collect the seeds.
My daughter helps me. She helps me with the plants that we’re preserving. She helps me water the plants and already knows the names of many of the plants.