Alina Arieta sits in front of her wooden hut, opposite a field of beans. The 50-year-old farmer worries that the soil is too dry and that this harvest will be a bad one.

With 300 other families, Alina and her four kids, live in the village of Montelara, in Colombia’s La Guajira, where they depend on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods.

Situated 1 000 kilometers north of the country’s capital, Bogota, La Guajira is Colombia’s northernmost province. It is dry and arid with desert landscapes. The region is also particularly prone to drought. Between the arid land and extreme weather events, it is difficult for people to grow crops and rear livestock, and as a result, communities, especially in rural areas, are vulnerable to food insecurity.  

Colombian-born, Alina, moved back to La Guajira after living in Venezuela for 30 years. She recalls her life over there, where she ran a business and lived comfortably until the economic crisis.