In celebration of Latin American Week, hosted by the Latin American Solidarity Centre in Dublin, not only was there a film festival and a photo exhibition, but Nelly Mendez came to visit Ireland to speak about her experiences as a small-holder coffee farmer in central Colombia.

Nelly has travelled to Leitrim, Galway and Limerick, visiting farming families and rural communities. She was particularly interested in the polytunnels she saw in Leitrim. The climate is so warm in Colombia, farmers grow all their crops outside.

During her visit, Nelly also met some women from the Traveller community and found their culture fascinating – especially how early they get married.

She enjoyed seeing the farmers’ market and comparing it to the Colombian equivalent.

Nelly travelled around Ireland for 10 days to help promote international development and create awareness for her own community’s struggle. She and her husband have a small coffee farm that is being threatened by plans for a hydroelectric dam.

There has been a civil war in Columbia for almost 50 years now. The deadly exchanges between the paramilitaries and government forces have had a huge impact on rural communities throughout the country.

Both Nelly’s husband and her brother have been imprisoned for their struggle against the dam and there have been very severe consequences for those challenging the programme.

Nelly’s family has joined an association to show they are united in their opposition to the proposed hydroelectric dam. They have been trying to build awareness of the issue and have teamed up with human rights’ groups.

If the dam is built it will drain their land of water, as most of it is on a hillside. Not only will it cause irrigation problems, but it may also lead to landslides in the area. Farmers are also worried about damage to the national park and nature reserves.

Nelly and her family refuse to think about what will happen if the dam is built, but they will continue to fight to save their farm and the local farms.

She says her trip to Ireland has been most enjoyable and that she has learned a lot from Irish farmers.

If you want to learn more about Nelly and the ongoing issues relating to rural communities in Colombia, you can contact the Latin America Solidarity Centre through their website, www.lasc.ie CL