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Field story · Colombia

VSF in Colombia

A first planted site in San Rafael: 250 vetiver slips already in the ground, with the next work focused on survival tracking, maintenance, and local nursery capacity.

Support the next phaseOpen the field atlas

Why Colombia

Steep land, real risk, simple tools.

Colombia’s mountain communities live with erosion, slope instability, and pressure on water and farmland. VSF works with what local teams can plant, maintain, and replicate — not what is easiest to claim.

Slopes and water

Heavy rains and steep terrain accelerate erosion and damage paths, farms, and water sources.

A practical biological tool

Vetiver hedgerows can slow runoff, hold soil, and protect community land when planted and maintained correctly.

Community-led, not institutional

A real planting in one community is more useful than a broad claim that has not been tested on the ground.

Field photo from the April 2, 2026 vetiver planting in El Juego, San Rafael.

San Rafael · El Juego

The first 250 slips are already planted.

San Rafael is the first planted site inside VSF in Colombia. On April 2, 2026, VSF and local partners planted 250 vetiver slips in the El Juego community in San Rafael, Antioquia. The site is now moving into survival tracking, maintenance confirmation, and follow-up photos.

  • Site: El Juego, San Rafael, Antioquia, Colombia.
  • Planting date: April 2, 2026.
  • 250 slips purchased — 250 planted — 0 remaining.
  • This is one planted site, not yet a scaled program.
View San Rafael field noteVisit El Juego Community

Proof → Propagation → Expansion

How a small planting becomes a model.

The first planting is not the goal in itself. It is the start of a sequence that can help nearby communities once survival, maintenance, and local plant production are confirmed.

  1. Step 1

    Prove

    Confirm the first planting is healthy, count survival, and gather clear site photos.

  2. Step 2

    Propagate

    Build local nursery capacity so more slips can be produced close to the communities that need them.

  3. Step 3

    Expand

    Support nearby communities once the site has shown what maintenance and plant supply require.

Interactive atlas

Follow the Colombia work.

The atlas is a supporting layer inside the story, not the headline. Mobile users can browse the same updates as a list. Pins mark approximate locations only — exact parcels are not published until confirmed.

Field atlas — Colombia

A lightweight reference map. Pins mark approximate locations only. Select a site to see what is confirmed and what comes next.

  • ConfirmedProofApproximate location

    El Juego, San Rafael

    El Juego community · San Rafael, Antioquia · 2026-04-02

    On April 2, 2026, VSF and local partners planted 250 vetiver slips in El Juego, San Rafael, Antioquia. This is the first planted site inside VSF in Colombia.

    Next action: Count survival, confirm maintenance, and gather follow-up photos.

    Evidence: Field photos from the April 2, 2026 planting are published in the San Rafael planting update.

    Exact parcel and maintenance owner are intentionally not published until confirmed.

    Open the project page
  • UnverifiedPropagationNo public coordinates yet

    Local nursery — to be confirmed

    Antioquia (community to confirm) · Antioquia

    A local nursery is the next step needed to multiply slips for nearby communities. Location, host, and capacity are still being scoped.

    Next action: Identify a host site, confirm responsibilities, and define an initial output target.

    No nursery location, partner, or output target is published until it is confirmed.

  • UnverifiedExpansionNo public coordinates yet

    Nearby communities — future expansion

    To be confirmed · Antioquia and surrounding

    Once survival is counted and a local nursery is in place, VSF can support nearby communities with a practical planting approach.

    Next action: Build on San Rafael survival data and nursery output before naming new sites publicly.

Timeline

From planting to nursery and replication.

Confirmed milestones are labelled. Future phases are marked as such so visitors can see where the model is and what comes next.

  1. April 2, 2026

    Confirmed

    First planting in El Juego

    250 vetiver slips planted in El Juego, San Rafael, Antioquia. Remaining: 0. The first site is planted.

  2. Now

    Partial

    Documentation and survival tracking

    The site needs survival counts, maintenance confirmation, and a steady rhythm of photos and field notes from the local team.

  3. Next

    Unverified

    Local nursery capacity

    Once survival is documented, the next step is to support a local nursery so that more slips can be produced without re-purchasing each time.

  4. Later

    Unverified

    Replication to nearby communities

    When survival data and local plant production are in place, nearby communities with similar slope and water challenges can use the same approach.

What is confirmed

Clear facts first, claims later.

VSF shares what the local team can confirm now and waits before making larger claims about impact, nursery capacity, or new locations.

  • Confirmed: April 2, 2026 planting of 250 slips in El Juego, San Rafael.
  • Still being checked: exact parcel coordinates and maintenance responsibility.
  • Still being checked: named partner relationships.
  • Still being checked: nursery location, capacity, and budget targets.
  • Still being checked: detailed landslide-prevention claims for this site.
  • Survival rate, photos, and field updates will appear as they are documented.

What comes next

Help this first planting grow into local capacity.

The first 250 slips are in the ground. The next phase needs follow-up visits, survival counts, plant material, and nursery preparation so nearby communities can use the same practical approach.

Support the next phaseSan Rafael field notePartner with VSF