Civilian Agency and Peacebuilding from Below: Agricultural Cooperatives in Conflict-Affected Colombia

Abstract

This paper examines how rural collective organization shapes patterns of violence and peacebuilding in conflict-affected Colombia. It combines municipal-level panel data (2016–2022) with qualitative analysis of testimonies from the Colombian Truth Commission (1958–2016) and a regional case of agricultural cooperatives in Sur del Tolima. The quantitative analysis identifies where collective organization is associated with variation in victimization, showing that agricultural cooperative membership is linked to lower victimization only in PDET municipalities—the territories most affected by conflict and institutional weakness—while peasant associations exhibit no robust protective relationship once structural controls are included. The qualitative analysis then examines how this conditional protection is produced in practice, identifying three mechanisms: strategic noncooperation, social cohesion and trust, and economic alternatives. Together, the findings suggest that institutionalized cooperation can function as civilian infrastructure for protection and recovery, while remaining contingent on baseline security, political recognition, and sustained support. The study contributes to peacebuilding scholarship by linking civilian agency with Latin American debates on the social and solidarity economy, showing how cooperatives translate solidarity into stability within fragile governance environments.