The Afro Women’s Community Council of Patía California is an Afro-descendant community created in 2020 and organized under the figure of a Community Council, in compliance with the guidelines of Law 70 of 1993 of Colombia. It has a population of 80 people (72% are women) and is made up of 30 families.

This is the first community council formed exclusively by women, highlighting its matrifocal structure and its own governance model. Through collective decision-making, the community has strengthened its territorial autonomy and the preservation of its ancestral practices, with active female participation in the management of the territory.

In 2024, the Council obtained the collective title of 99.3 hectares through the National Land Agency (ANT), consolidating rights over an ancestral territory of 1,633.4 hectares historically occupied by the community. These lands, previously provided provisionally by the Colombian Institute for Rural Development (INCODER), are essential for the subsistence, social cohesion and cultural development of the Afro-descendant community.

With the support of the ANT, the Council has implemented productive projects such as cattle raising and lemon cultivation, thus strengthening its economic autonomy. In addition, it has led environmental conservation initiatives, such as the creation of Community Conservation Areas with a focus on Black People, covering 367.1 hectares. This effort, supported by the PCN and RRI, reaffirms the commitment to ecological sustainability and the improvement of living conditions.

Women, through consultation and collective participation mechanisms, have promoted inclusive decision-making and the strengthening of matrifocal leadership. They implement training strategies in territorial rights and promote mingas and other community activities, which reinforces their capacity for self-governance. In addition, collective work in home gardens, livestock, artisanal fishing and fruit harvesting ensures food security and economic sustainability for the community.

Faced with the challenges of marketing products such as lemons, the Council proposes productive alternatives, such as pulping and the implementation of an agro-silvopastoral system, seeking to diversify income and promote equitable and sustainable economic development.