Discovering community through the Global Farmer Network®

A life-or-death decision drove a Colombian farmer into a farming career that has yielded rewards far beyond what he could have imagined.

José Gonzalez Chacon survived a blast on a busy workday at a petroleum field only to find that it wasn’t an accident, and even more terrifying was that he and his co-workers were the targets of the explosion. With little hesitation, he cut ties with his former employer and moved away from his old life to a remote community.

“Learning that conflict is going to be a teacher, and something that changes your mindset is a difficult thing,” Gonzalez says. “As a civil engineer, I didn’t want to be involved with corruption and politics.”

A new beginning

His new beginning away from the fray of violence and threats to his safety led him to have difficult conversations with his family and to a new career in agriculture and a global farming family.

Gonzalez worked on a poultry, fruit and palm farm his family owned. It also allowed him to use his engineering background to make the farm more environmentally friendly.

“In Colombia, poultry is filthy,” Gonzalez says. “And when I say filthy, I mean filthy. Dirty water and very poor treatment (to the animals).”

Gonzalez got to work quickly cleaning up the farm and improving the well-being of the poultry along with the living conditions of the workers and their families.

“I surrounded myself with people that know how to farm and teach you how to farm,” Gonzalez says. “I got more involved with my family, and we decided to do something for the community around us. Because we don’t want others to go through what I went through.”

Discovering a great community

A chance request by a company he worked with on the farm was life-changing for Gonzalez.  Because he spoke English and had a track record of success in sustainable measures with his farm, he was invited to a participate in a meeting with other farmers in Mexico. The Global Farmer Network (GFN®) hosted that event.

“People from Colombia don’t trust people easily because of the drugs, drug lords and all of the criminal acts,” he says. “But I decided to take a risk and attend the GFN Roundtable & Communication Training program.”

That risk turned out to be the best decision of his life as he found himself with like-minded farmers worldwide discussing important topics that impacted their farming operations.

The GFN changed how Gonzalez approached his farming operation, shared his knowledge with others, and created deep bonds with farmers worldwide.

“Partnership is very important for me,” he says. “We {GFN farmers} are not partners in crime, if you can say that, we are partners in change. Everyone involved with GFN has the same target but different routes to get there.”

Established in 2000, the GFN amplifies the farmers’ voice in promoting trade, technology, sustainable farming, economic growth, and food security. The GFN identifies, engages, and supports strong farmer leaders worldwide who can work with others to innovate, encourage, and lead as full stakeholders in the work being done to fill the world’s food and nutrition security gap sustainably.

That mission and collaboration with others have led Gonzalez to implement changes on his farm and help others in his small farming community.

“From my point of view, the GFN is successful because of the love that is shared,” he says. “There is a love not only for what we do but for the people we collaborate with and the members of the GFN. Everyone cares for one another.”

Visiting fellow GFN members during events like the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa, and through their private chat group has helped Gonzalez solve problems on his farm, and he hopes that he has helped other farmers solve problems, too.

He’s excited to see where involvement with the GFN will take him in the future as he collaborates with farmers from around the world today. He is especially interested in the push for sustainability and environmental responsibility by the GFN farmers as a whole.

“It has given me a different perspective and approach to my farm and my community, and I’m better off for being a part of this group,” he says.