Fuenterra, Colombia

Definition
Devising project idea, defining the aim and main components
Design
Specifying details such as time-frame, budget, target indicators, project partners and relevant steps to reach the project objectives
Open to Financing
Searching and securing funding and investment, setting up relevant financing partnerships, and discussing payment modalities
Implementation
Execution of feasibility studies, context analysis, plot design, planting and setting up facilities and starting with potential capacity-building
Maintenance
Operational phase (monitoring and evaluation, impact assessments and adjustments, execution of educational programmes and long-term capacity building)
Scaling Up
Scaling up phase is when the project it has already shown success by obtaining impact as well as economic results and it's ready to become replicable.

The legalization of cannabis brings with it many opportunities: medical opportunities for patients worldwide and economic development opportunities for smallholder farmers in the global south.

Fuenterra, a nature-based startup in Colombia, is treading a new path in regenerative agriculture. The startup is working with local tobacco farmers looking to diversify from their crop’s waning demand into medical cannabis, encouraging climate-smart innovations that increase yields while fighting poor soil quality and water scarcity. In addition, with cannabis’ strong carbon sequestration potential, the combined effect could provide a strong contribution to the region’s fight against climate change and could be used as a model for other regions and countries.

Promoting soil biodiversity

One of the major aims of this project is to ensure that the soil is healthy enough for organisms to grow and thrive. Research has proven that cannabis cultivation is one major natural approach to soil remediation. The crop helps clean up polluted soils, encouraging the growth and survival of diverse organisms in the ecosystem. Contaminants are absorbed by the roots of the cannabis plant and transformed into harmless substances. This filters the soil and builds up the soil quality to ensure the optimal performance of crops.

With this project, Fuenterra hopes to reverse the desertification of the region by combining an innovative technological package with regenerative agriculture. Healthier soil through regenerative agriculture would lead to greater water retention, while implementing the closed-circuit system will encourage less water waste. In addition, exhaustive agro-climatological research determined that the region is best for cannabis cultivation, reducing the need for energy-intensive technologies (heating, dehumidification) and limiting carbon footprint compared with other companies in the country (and much less than indoor grows abroad).

Sequestering two times more carbon

Environmental advocates encourage the planting of trees as a means to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Several scientific findings have proven that cannabis cultivation is twice as effective in carbon sink as normal trees. This, therefore, brings about the question of why not opt for an approach that gives a better result in a shorter time frame.

Helping small growers scale up their businesses

There are huge benefits in diversifying into high-value crops such as medical cannabis, especially for small growers. This will improve the quality of life of growers and the local economy. Fuenterra provides an affordable means to teach and support small growers in the sustainable production of medical cannabis. The goal is to improve the production chain by providing inputs, logistics, and marketing services for small growers.

We encourage a change in agricultural practices, moving small growers towards drip irrigation for efficient use and rationing of water.

Supporting the pharmaceutical industry with raw materials

Medical cannabis, also called medical marijuana, is a herbal medicine derived from plants of the genus Cannabis that is used as part of the treatment for specific symptoms or diseases such as cancer, chronic pain, and mental disorders.

Fuenterra wants to ensure a continuous supply of this raw material through an efficient logistics model and a team of experts working together to make things happen.