A significant transformation is taking place in the beautiful landscapes of Colombia’s Upper Cauca River Valley. This change is being driven by a diverse coalition of activists, academics, and community organizers who are challenging the previous extractive development models and working towards a future based on justice, sustainability, and local knowledge.

Arturo Escobar, a Colombian-born scholar and Luce grantee, is at the forefront of this movement. He has spent decades amplifying grassroots solutions from marginalized communities. Through his organization, Asociación Cultural Casa del Niño, and with partners like the Casa Cultural, Casa del Niño, and Asokoms, Arturo and his collaborators are creating a “tapestry of transitions” – a collection of community-driven initiatives addressing water conservation, food sovereignty, racial equity, and cultural revitalization. Their ambitious goal is to promote a pluriversal territorial peace, where diverse worldviews and ways of life coexist harmoniously. This bold vision is already taking root and providing hope and inspiration to those who believe in the power of community-led change. Luce’s Interim President, Sean Buffington, recently spoke with Escobar. Watch the engaging interview here.

Arturo Escobar’s life has been a journey of exploration and transformation centered on the question: How can communities mobilize to create a better future for themselves, primarily when the dominant forces of globalization often work against them?

A Vision Born in the Cauca Valley

Originally from Colombia, Escobar’s work in his homeland embodies a unique approach to confronting the challenges of globalization, particularly in regions like the Upper Cauca River Valley. Reflecting on his experiences with development initiatives that often fell short, Escobar said, “I was witnessing firsthand in Colombia that these plans were not giving the results they were supposed to give.” His dissatisfaction with conventional development led him to focus on social movements and the grassroots alternatives they created.

Today, his project centers around “pluriversal territorial peace,” a concept rooted in the idea that true peace and justice must consider economic and racial justice and environmental and epistemic justice—recognizing and integrating the knowledge systems of marginalized communities.

February 17, 2024. Eliécer Balanta. Finca Bajios I.
Inquiries into the Afro-Food Corridor and the traditional farm. Villa Rica, Cauca.

Building Collective Power Through Transitions

Escobar emphasized the importance of transitioning from exploitative development models to those centered on life-affirming, community-driven alternatives. His project in the Upper Cauca Valley, which engages over 60 people, focuses on the local realities of Afro-Colombian communities, many of whom have been displaced due to monocultures like sugarcane and the exploitation of natural resources.

“One of the main goals is to consolidate what we call the tapestry of transitions,” Escobar shared. This tapestry includes a web of transformative alternatives—community-based initiatives focused on food sovereignty, water conservation, climate change adaptation, and territorial peace. “What we’re seeing is that out of this richness…a whole series of groups and people’s engaging transition activities concerning many of these different issues,” Escobar said.

The work is deeply collaborative, and Escobar stressed that the communities themselves drive these efforts. “This is not an academic project,” he clarified. “The main goal is to contribute to strengthening these communities in very practical terms…We do things collectively.”

Justice Beyond Economics

One of the most thought-provoking aspects of Escobar’s work is its broad vision of justice. “We are talking about multiple justices here,” he explained. “Certainly, justice in terms of economic position, racial justice, gender justice, and a particular kind of epistemic justice—being able to incorporate the knowledge and experiences of everybody in the region, not just the modernized minority.”

This epistemic justice is foundational to Escobar’s vision of “universal territorial peace,” a peace that honors the multiple ways of knowing and being that are central to Indigenous, black, and peasant communities. For Escobar, justice cannot be reduced to one-size-fits-all solutions imposed by external forces. Instead, it must be pluralistic, recognizing the cosmological and cultural diversity that exists within the region.

Lessons for the Global North

Escobar’s reflections extend beyond the boundaries of Colombia. In his view, the North-South dialogue on transition is critical, mainly because the Global North’s focus tends to be technological and economic, whereas the Global South often approaches transition more holistically. “The conversation between transition thinking in the North and transition thinking and practice in the South…is becoming one of the greatest dialogues we are seeing today,” Escobar observed.

Escobar also highlighted a dangerous trend in so-called “green” transitions in the North, where decarbonization efforts often increase the demand for minerals and raw materials from the Global South, perpetuating exploitation. “That’s not a just transition,” he noted. For true global justice, the Global North must rethink its sustainability models to ensure they do not come at the expense of marginalized communities in the Global South.

Mobilizing Communities for the Long-Term

Escobar acknowledges that transitioning to just, sustainable, and pluriversal systems is a long-term effort. He urges funders and supporters to recognize that meaningful results take time. “We are aware that this is a long-term project. Some of the activists in our community call this a project for a lifetime.”

Still, the project has already achieved notable successes. One of its key accomplishments has been generating a new narrative for the Upper Cauca Valley—a vision that imagines a future beyond sugarcane monoculture and industrial exploitation. Escobar explained, “We want to produce a different narrative about the region…it can be a pretty versatile region…a bio-region of buen vivir, which is collective well-being for everybody.”

A Global Model for Community-Led Change

Arturo Escobar’s work in the Upper Cauca Valley is a model for how communities can mobilize to create their alternatives to globalized, extractive systems. Focusing on local autonomy, universal justice, and long-term commitment, Escobar and his collaborators are weaving a “tapestry of transitions” that can inspire similar efforts around the world.

“We do things collectively…and I think that’s the project’s ethos,” Escobar said. “Everybody learns from everybody else.” This approach to community mobilization—rooted in humility, plurality, and a profound respect for diverse ways of knowing—offers vital lessons for those working to create more just and sustainable futures across the globe.