Aiming a blow at narcos, Colombia pays farmers to uproot coca | Drugs News

As cocaine production reaches an unprecedented high, Colombia’s government is trialling a more peaceful remedy to its enduring narcotics crisis – offering payments to farmers to uproot coca crops, the primary ingredient in the drug.

Alirio Caicedo and his son Nicolas are among the latest beneficiaries. A decade ago, they planted their fields with coca, staking their livelihoods on the persistent demand from criminal gangs.

Now, the Caicedos are digging up those same crops, uncertain of…