The Aurelio Llano Posada Foundation was initially created under the name of Fundación Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd Foundation) in December of 1983 by Dr. Aurelio Llano Posada, his wife Mrs. Angela Soto de Llano and by the SOLLA S.A. Company.

From its creation the Foundation has had the firm purpose of contributing to the improvement of living conditions for peasant farmers with limited resources, especially in aspects relating to Farming and Stockbreeding Development, without overlooking other heartfelt needs in health, housing, education, nutrition.

During its first years the Foundation sought an adequate strategy in order to fulfill its objectives. It was then decided it would work using its own resources taking advantage of its own facilities at the Portugal Farm and carrying out projects on lands of some peasant farmers where more efficient production methodologies for the small producer were tested. It was at this time that the cuniculture program began with the idea of providing peasant farmers with a way of obtaining a low cost source of protein and which has continued to the present with notable advances. A project for the mixed drying of yucca was also advanced and whose objective was to produce chips for the Balanced Food Industry. Several Clean Agriculture projects were carried out with a reduction in the use of agro-chemicals a subject that has currently taken on great importance. Work continued under this modality for ten years.

At that time in the life of the Foundation, its founder decided to change the work strategy seeking greater coverage and greater efficiency in the investment of resources. His new idea consisted of channeling efforts in an attempt to achieve great reactions with little intervention. It sought to help other institutions carry out projects impeded by minor difficulties, choosing fields of action in which stagnation for lack of support was present. By means of this catalyzing action the Foundation was able to bring to life projects that without its help would have no other possibilities of success.

This implied that the Foundation would not execute projects directly but rather it would associate itself with projects of other public and private institutions that met the expectations of the Foundation. With this new strategy over a period of five years the Foundation came to be associated with 148 projects proposed by 49 institutions prioritizing four fields of action: Technological Development, Entrepreneurial Development, the Environment, and the Transfer of Technology.

Many were the achievements reached during this period among which some may be mentioned in the manner of example:

In the area of Technological Development in collaboration with the Catholic University of Oriente, The Colombian Corporation for Farming and Stockbreeding Research (Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria) and The Commercial Enterprise of Vegetables of Marinilla (La Empresa Comercializadora de Hortalizas de Marinilla), a production alternative for vegetables was developed for Eastern Antioquia, incorporating into its production scheme non-traditional vegetables thereby alleviating the substantial losses suffered by farmers in the peaks of the harvest of traditional vegetables.

In the area of Environment, in association with The Colombian Corporation for Farming and Stockbreeding Research and Municipal Technical Assistance Units, an integrated management of the plague known as the Palomilla Guatemalteca, which attacks the potato causing great losses, was able to be established.

In the area of the Transfer of Technology, in association with the Catholic University of Oriente, the creation of the Regional Training Institute (Instituto Regional de Capacitación) and the Bachelor of Arts Degree program in Rural Education was achieved and with the Educational Corporation for Eastern Antioquia (Corporación Educativa del Oriente Antioqueño) an integral farm was fitted up for demonstrational purposes of the student population of this institute.

In the area of Entrepreneurial Development it joined forces with The Board for Communal Action (Junta de Acción Comunal) of the La Palma rural community in the Municipality of Argelia in the creation of a cooperative of unrefined sugar producers and merchants. Likewise, along with the Corporation for Development (Corporación para el Desarrollo) it supported the efforts of the Farming and Stockbreeding Producers Trade Union (Asociación Gremial de Productores Agropecuarios) in the rural community of Los Cedros in the Municipality of Cocorná in the expansion and equipping of collection sites.

Other subjects of projects that indicate the variety of problems attended to at that time are the following:

• Advances in technology in pork production in the open.
• Management of the biodiversity of the tropical rain forest.
• Educational Program for communal living in municipalities with altered law and order. Conformation of communal sugar mills and commercialization of unrefined sugar.
• Creation of cooperatives and associations of peasant farm producers.
• Publication of documents that disclose results in the areas of farming and stockbreeding.
• Design of environmental clean-up schemes.

This period concluded toward the end of 1998 the Foundation entering a period of recess which lasted until the year 2002. There began then a new period with great enthusiasm on the part of the founder who regrettably passed away a short time after its initiation.

The Board of Directors, in honor of its founder, changed the name of the Foundation renaming it the Aurelio Llano Posada Foundation. At the same time it opted for a strategy of once again resuming the two schemes implemented in the previous periods, that is to say, it took up the modality of working on its own projects while at the same time supporting the efforts of other institutions committed to the improvement of living conditions for peasant farmers with limited resources.

It is worth noting that in the area of its own projects two were started that can be considered today as flag bearers of the Foundation: The scholarship program for peasant students with limited resources and the program of awards which bears the name of Dr. Aurelio Llano Posada which wants to encourage efforts in the dedication of people and institutions to the development of projects and works that will improve the quality of life of peasant farmers with limited resources. Another program that was started in the first period and that has advanced considerably is the cuniculture program.

In this new period important advances can be mentioned:

In the scholarship program agreements have been reached with university institutions such as:

University of Antioquia, Catholic University of Oriente, University of Quindío, Industrial University of Santander, Polytechnic Institute Jaime Isaza Cadavid, Educational Corporation for Eastern Antioquia , Catholic Technological Corporation of Occidente, University Institution of Envigado, Autonomous University of Bucaramanga.

In these institutions there are aprox. 447 students on scholarship in major fields of study directed toward different specialties in the farming and stockbreeding sector such as, administration of farming and stockbreeding enterprises, farming and stockbreeding industry, farming and stockbreeding technology, ecological farming and stockbreeding.
The idea is to enroll new groups annually. Additionally with oversight from the National Learning Service (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje) and the Enterprise Incubator of Antioquia (Incubadora de Empresas de Antioquia) a learning program is being structures for the purpose of assisting students on scholarship to create their own businesses once they have concluded their studies.


In the Aurelio Llano Posada Awards Three convocations have been held in the modalities of Investigation and Development and Life and Work during the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. And now is open de fourth for the 2010.

The award is presented on the 4th of June of each year, date of the birth of Dr. Aurelio Llano Posada.

The cuniculture program started in the first period of the Foundation has achieved notable advances. Currently the Foundation is the only institution at the national level that has an organized cuniculture program with the objective of food safety for the small peasant farmer. The base of this program is located at La Pradera Farm owned by the Foundation in the Department of Quindío where there is a rabbit den for breeding production and a bank of forage plants, both in order to supply the small units that incorporate themselves to the program. It also has training facilities and assistance to visitors interested in learning about the program and receiving training in the different aspects of the production process.

Currently a practical booklet on cuniculture is being distributed among the small producers associated to the project.

Among the achievements obtained with this program the following can be mentioned:

221 units of production established and directly assisted in a year on lands of small producers. 120 units already established the previous year were directly assisted in their second year of production. 838 small producers were attended to in training courses in different aspects of cage construction, forage production, culinary based on rabbit meat etc. 379 animals were distributed for reproduction purposes.

Among the projects in cooperation with other institutions achievements have also been obtained in benefit of the peasant producer. The following are some to name a few:

With the La Ceiba Corporation (Corporación La Ceiba) the project School of Rural Formation Toward Sustainable Development (Escuela de Formación Campesina Hacia el Desarrollo Sostenible) was carried out and whose objective is to promote collective and practical concepts for the management and administration of the peasant farm and implement agro-ecological practices for the efficient use of resources and by which it was achieved that 160 peasant families incorporate some of the practices such as vegetable gardens, agro-ecological practices, construction of bio-digesters, treatment of served waters, preparation of nutrients for animal use, better nutritional habits, etc.

With the Prodepaz Corporation (Corporación Prodepaz) a project has been developed to train 174 small producers of unrefined sugar in the exploitation of the sub-products of sugar cane and unrefined sugar production for animal nutrition as a complimentary source of income. The project was completed with 60 producers trained, five stables have been built and these units have been provided with 50 head of cattle.

With the Colombian Corporation for Farming and Stockbreeding Research advances were made in the project Development and Strengthening of Honey Production in Unrefined Sugar Mills for Use in Bovine Cattle whose objective is to provide the small unrefined sugar producer with technology in order to produce quality honeys for animal feeding as a second source of income. Forty producers were trained in the new technology.

With the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers of Antioquia (Comité Departamental de Cafeteros de Antioquia) collaboration on the project Improvement of the Standard of Living of 100 Peasant Families though the Establishment of Sustainable Agro-Forestry Systems whose objective is to train 100 families of small coffee producers in ecologically compatible practices and provide them with the adequate equipment for the management of the post-harvest so that they may produce export quality coffee. Additionally, they are trained in practices of Food Safety for a better quality of life.

With the Corporation for the Development of Antioquia (Corporación para el Desarrollo de Antioquia) there is underway a project for the Implementation of Vegetable Gardens to Strengthen Food Safety. The project has not concluded but to date there are more than 65 Vegetable Gardens planted and in production.

With the Ecósfera Foundation being processed is the project Pilot Cultivation of Octopuses in Floating Cages as a Fishing Exploitation Alternative of the Wayúu Community. The project has not concluded but as it is a technology adjustment project important adjustments in the design of cages and in the diet of the Octopuses have been achieved.

Currently being considered are three new projects:

Project for the Strengthening of Rural Entrepreneurialism with the Enterprise Incubator of Antioquia which seeks to put 15 rural companies into full operation.

School of Rural Formation Toward Sustainable Development with La Ceiba Corporation which seeks to replicate the successful scheme already developed by this corporation but in municipalities in other regions of the Department of Antioquia.

Recovery of the Productivity of Cane Crops with the Colombian Corporation for Farming and Stockbreeding Research which seeks to apply a replanting model bases on seedlings.

Although true that the Foundation’s strategy for accomplishing its objectives has changed through the years, its nature has always been the same from its inception. It is a Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organization whose basic mission is the promotion of Farming and Stockbreeding Development based on ecologically compatible practices and that comply with the mission of improving competitiveness and the standard of living of the peasant farmer with limited resources. Additionally it lends support and economic collaboration to entities that assist families with limited resources in the areas of health, housing, education, and nutrition.

The Foundation possesses Legal Authorization recognized by the Government of Antioquia and its duration is of an indefinite nature. For its own functioning it counts on funds of its own.

Toward the future the Foundation’s commitment is to continue contributing to the improvement of the living conditions of the peasant farmer with limited resources. It will always be attentive to managing its resources in the most efficient manner possible and establishing alliances with other institutions in the farming and stockbreeding sector with similar purposes seeking synergies that will lead to achieving impacts that will truly help the peasant farmers in their daily battle to go forward with their life project.