Citation

Acero C, Ordoñez L, Harris M, Rhodes T, Holland A, Gutiérrez-Sanín F. Med. Anthropol. 2023; 42(7): 650-666.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/01459740.2023.2249202

PMID

37788325

Abstract

In Putumayo, a jungle borderland in southern Colombia, thousands of farmers derive their livelihood from the cultivation and processing of coca leaf, exposing themselves to fertilizers, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals on a daily basis. In this article, we show how the coca growers' relationship with chemicals and the health risks to which they are exposed, are politically and institutionally structured. We discuss the specific impact of anti-narcotics policy in a broader context of deep inequalities and document the emergent and adaptive day-to-day attempts of the farmers to navigate the structural risk environment.

Language: en

Keywords

structural violence; Colombia; Chemicals; coca farmers; institutional calamity; war on drugs