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In a culture steeped in machismo and tradition, where
educating women was often undervalued, Enriqueta took
it upon herself to secure her daughters’ futures. Despite
opposition from my grandfather, she remained steadfast in
her belief that education was the key to empowerment for My son’s father became an agronomist engineer and also
her daughters. Through her sacrifices and unwavering re- works at the FNC, in the National Coffee Research Cen-
solve, she ensured that her daughters would not be bound ter. So my son is the third generation of coffee growers
by the limitations imposed by societal norms. on his father’s side.
So it was with great effort from my grandmother
that my mother Emelina Escobar was the first to leave Second Chapter, When Soil Compaction
the farm and go to school. She was always an outstand- Decreases Crop Emergence
ing student, and how could she not be one after seeing
the great efforts my grandmother made to change her After my son’s father and I parted ways, he returned
destiny for the better. This led her to get a scholarship to to his hometown, leaving me to navigate single mother-
study nursing, and when she started working, she helped hood while completing my studies. However, my son used
my grandmother get her two sisters off the farm and help to spend every holiday at his grandfather’s and father’s
them get an education as well. Thus, my grandmother’s farm because they wanted to teach him everything they
mission was successfully accomplished. The nice thing could about coffee and help his grandfather in any way
about this part of the story is that when my grandmother they could with the coffee farm chores. As he matured, he
became ill, she was hospitalized in the same hospital accompanied his father on visits to coffee farms nation-
where my mother worked as a nurse, so my mother was wide, honing his skills and embracing the path his father
my grandmother’s personal nurse until she died in 1983 envisioned for him—an engineer’s role within the FNC.
when I was still a child. Upon completing my degree, my stellar academic
My mother, driven by my grandmother’s legacy, record earned me an internship at the Colombian Em-
made it her mission to ensure her children received an bassy in Sweden. Despite the opportunity to advance my
education, sparing them from farm labor. Despite my career and honor my family’s sacrifices, it meant relo-
father’s focus on providing, education wasn’t prioritized cating. With a heavy heart, I left my son in my mother’s
due to his farming background. Through my mother’s care and embarked on the toughest journey of my life—a
perseverance, my brothers and I attended university, a year in Sweden.
testament to her immense efforts. Arriving in Stockholm with no knowledge of En-
I pursued my studies at the esteemed University of glish, the prospect of settling in an entirely unfamiliar
Nariño, renowned in Colombia for its excellence in law and country seemed daunting. The shift in climate, culture,
political science. Admission to these programs is highly and language felt overwhelming. I thought I wouldn’t
competitive, given the university’s public funding and rig- make it, but every day I kept telling myself, “do it for
orous standards. Inspired by my mother’s academic prow- your son.” My mother was very supportive, and I knew
ess, I excelled as a student, though undecided on my major. there were no better hands to take care of my son. Grad-
During my university years, I crossed paths with ually, I mastered English and even acquired basic Swedish
Francisco, who later became the father of my son, Juan skills. As my internship at the Embassy drew to a close,
Francisco. Hailing from a rural background like me, Fran- I stumbled upon an exciting opportunity—a pioneering
cisco’s ancestral ties to Nariño’s soil ran deep. Despite master’s program in International Environmental Law
his family’s indigenous roots, Francisco’s father relocat- at Stockholm University. It was a revelation, unlike any-
ed to Valle del Cauca, a more northern part of Colombia thing available back home in Colombia.
where the coffee region begins, in search of better op- As a woman with roots in agriculture, there’s noth-
portunities. My son’s grandfather, with a lot of effort, ing that ignites my passion more than leveraging legal av-
studied biology and specialized in coffee. He began to enues to safeguard our environment. I had to study that
work in the National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC) master’s degree... It became my goal. I submitted my ap-
in the area of research and development, and instilled plication with hopes of securing a scholarship, otherwise,
in my son’s father the passion for coffee. He also has his I would not be able to afford it. I poured my heart into
own farm, very much in the style of Nariño, with various numerous letters, emphasizing the profound significance
crops, but on his farm, coffee plays a primordial role. of this program to me.

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