La Guajira Department Research Articles

Narrativa de mi experiencia como maestra, formadora e investigadora en territorio indígena wayuu: una autoetnografía

This article presents the trajectory of a teacher, trainer, and researcher in indigenous territory, anchored in autoethnography. Her work as an active participant in Colombia’s National Ministry of Education’s Todos a Aprender Program goes beyond mere knowledge transmission, being a journey of mutual and collective learning. It highlights the deep connection with the cultural reality and particularities of indigenous territories, as well as her role as a researcher and teacher committed to educational improvement in the La Guajira department. Autoethnography emerges as the ideal tool to reflect on her transformation as a teacher, analyzing the impact of her work and connections with the Wayuu indigenous community. Through this testimony, it seeks to open a reflective dialogue on the transformative power of education in indigenous contexts and contribute to understanding educational diversity and strengthening cultural fabric in these territories.

Design of a Socially Inclusive Climate Risk Transfer Mechanism: A Case Study in La Guajira, Colombia

The primary aim of this study was to develop a model of a socially inclusive climate risk insurance (CRI) mechanism based on the differential risk transfer approach. This study focused on the department of La Guajira, Colombia, as a case study. La Guajira is the department in Colombia that, due to its critical disaster risk conditions, presents the adequate configuration for implementing a climate risk transfer mechanism. The article starts by analyzing risk conditions by using secondary data. Based on fieldwork, this research explored the perspectives of the most vulnerable sectors in La Guajira Department on the socioeconomic impacts and needs they experience regarding climate-related hazards, their adaptive measures for risk reduction, and their willingness to adopt CRI. This represents the fundamental input for the formulation of the CRI model. Consequently, this research proposed an operational structure as input for future implementations of the model. The results indicate that national and local disaster risk management public policies align with the sectors’ needs and priorities. Strengthening sectoral associations can enhance representation in CRI projects. In-kind indemnization is preferred for women entrepreneurs and the indigenous community. The CRI model includes a risk pool through the family compensation fund of La Guajira as a sectoral agglomerator, with contingent credit and traditional/parametric insurance. The methodology developed in this study can be applied in different contexts worldwide as a guidance for informing national and international climate risk finance initiatives.

Impact of the reform to the general royalties system on employment and business development in the department of La Guajira

Impact of the reform to the general royalties system on employment and business development in the department of La Guajira

A Political Ecology of Food Security in La Guajira, Colombia

Inspired by my experiences while studying abroad in Colombia, in this paper I seek to explain the environmental, social, and political causes of widespread food insecurity in the Colombian department of La Guajira, a rural, isolated desert region with a high percentage of indigenous peoples. I first perform a literature review of geographic research on food security in peripheral regions, followed by a comprehensive case study analysis of La Guajira, drawing together sources from a variety of disciplines, in English and Spanish, in order to provide a new perspective on the region’s crisis through a multiscalar political ecology lens specifically focused on human-environment interactions, marginalization, social difference, and discourses. I find that from racialized frontier capitalism in the early 1900s to contemporary neoliberal extractivism, decades of attempts to integrate the region into national and global economic markets have weakened traditional food systems and substantially increased food insecurity. More broadly, I explore how food security, local agency in food systems, and environmental sustainability can be increased by rethinking our conventional ideas of “development,” “progress,” and “isolation.”

Estrategias de turismo sostenible en el corregimiento de Palomino, departamento de La Guajira

i) Introduction: Tourism is one of the most relevant economic activities worldwide and a potential engine for the develop-ment of developing communities; ii) objective: This article aims to propose sustainable tourism strategies in the Palomi-no township, department of La Guajira within the framework of economic reactivation after the covid 19 pandemic. iii) methodology: The research is based on a study with a mixed approach and descriptive scope, where questionnaire surveys were applied to 47 hostels/hotels located in Palomino and re-gistered with the Chamber of Commerce of La Guajira. The data were statistically analyzed in SPSS. iv) results: Among the most relevant findings, it is considered that the problem of coastal erosion, the lack of tourist infrastructure and the poor coverage of public services are a barrier to sustainability in the territory; v) conclusions: Finally, actions are recommended to strengthen the economy, preserve identity and conserve na-tural and environmental resources, promote the destination, implement digital marketing strategies and enhance big data that accelerate economic recovery after the crisis generated by the COVID -19 pandemic.

Analysis of ENSO influence on the solar and wind potential of the department of La Guajira

ABSTRACT This study explores how solar radiation and wind speed in La Guajira vary in response to El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Climatic data were collected and analysed at three iconic locations: Upper Guajira, Middle Guajira, and Lower Guajira, over a span of three decades. The data were obtained from reliable sources such as IDEAM and NASA stations. To identify El Niño and La Niña periods, Southern Oscillation Index (ONI) data were utilised. Subsequently, the data underwent detailed statistical analyses, including hypothesis testing. During El Niño, solar radiation is altered solely in Lower Guajira; for La Niña, no significant changes in solar radiation across the region are observed. Wind speed, for the most part, remains unaffected by the studied climatic phenomena in these areas, with an exception in Middle Guajira during La Niña, where it is notably influenced.

La familia Amaranthaceae en la colección de referencia herbario de La Guajira (HG) “Wunü'ülia”, La Guajira, Colombia

Colombia is considered a country of great biological diversity, in which its wide variety of flora stands out. The department of La Guajira is located in the northernmost part of the country and has recently been highlighted by the presence of numerous initiatives aimed at characterizing its biodiversity, since much of the existing information on its vegetation cover is incipient. This means that any research on its biological richness has an impact on national biodiversity records. Amaranthaceae is a plant family with a pantropical distribution and numerous species records in the neotropics, including arid environments, disturbed and high salinity areas, among others. This study is the first report on the ecology and distribution of the family Amaranthaceae in the department of La Guajira through a review of the collection belonging to the Herbarium of La Guajira (HG) "Wunü'Ülia. A review of the specimens belonging to the family in the collection was carried out, determining eight genera and nine species.

Políticas para disminuir el riesgo crediticio en las Cooperativas de Ahorro y Crédito en el distrito turístico y cultural de Riohacha

In the tourist and cultural district of Riohacha, department of La Guajira, savings and credit cooperatives are a source of resources that serve to finance various business projects that improve people's income and quality of life. That is why these cooperatives are social assets that must be protected in order for them to maintain their operations normally. It should be a concern and a task of the academy to provide conceptual theoretical tools to define a better implementation of the policy for credit risk management in these entities. Methodologically, the research is classified as a descriptive field study, with a population of members of the credit and portfolio area of the savings and credit cooperatives in the district of Riohacha. A questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument, which was reviewed by five (5) experts in the area. Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was used to determine its reliability. The objective is to analyze the policies applied in credit risk management in the savings and credit cooperative sector in the tourist and cultural district of Riohacha. Theoretically supported by the postulates of the authors Lara (2005), Elizondo, A. (2004). Credit risk, Elizondo, A. and Altman, E, Gasol, M (2017), Gitman (2019), Sanchez, Inocencio (2016), Sebastian and Lopez (2020), Soley and Rahenma (2021). The objective of this study is to determine the policies for credit risk management in savings and credit cooperatives in the tourist and cultural district of Riohacha.

RANGE EXPANSION IN THE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF Xenodon angustirostris PETERS, 1864: A NEW LOCALITY FOR THE COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN ECOREGION

The false mapaná or false Fer-de-Lance snakes of the genus Xenodon are cryptic, opisthoglyphous, oviparous snakes, rare and poorly represented in biological collections. Hence, the breadth of their distribution ranges is not well delimited. Herein, we extend the geographic distribution range of Xenodon angustirostris based on the discovery of a specimen from the western slope of the Serranía del Perijá, department of La Guajira, Colombia. This new record represents the northernmost locality for the species distribution, adds a new ecosystem and habitat to those previously reported, and provide new evidence that fed the discussion about hypothetical biogeographic units stated for the Colombian Caribbean.

A new species of freshwater crab of the genus Chaceus Pretzmann, 1965 (Brachyura: Decapoda: Pseudothelphusidae) from La Guajira, including distribution and a key to the species of the genus.

We describe and illustrate a new species of Chaceus Pretzmann, 1965, from the Regional Natural Park of the Serranía de Perijá, La Guajira Department, Colombia. This increases the number of Chaceus species to ten, three of them with records only from Venezuela. The species of this genus are distributed in the Sierra de Santa Marta of Colombia and the Serranía de Perijá of Colombia and Venezuela. We distinguished the new species from its congeners mainly by the third maxilliped, with an exopod that is 0.60-0.62 the length of ischium, and by the morphology of the first male gonopod, particularly by the shapes of the mesial, marginal, and lateral processes. We include the distribution of the Chaceus species here and a key for the identification of the species based on the morphology of the first male gonopod.

A new species of Helietta (Rutaceae, Pteleinae) from Colombia

Helietta hirsuta (Pilocarpinae, Galipeeae, Rutaceae), a new tree species from the dry forest remnants on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, is described, illustrated and compared with Helietta plaeana, whose name has been applied to trees found in Northeast Colombia. This new species is known from two populations in dry forest remnants in La Guajira department, and it is distinguished from the morphologically similar H. plaeana by having a pubescent full developed inflorescence longer than the leaves, rough hairs on the ovaries and puberulous young mericarps.

Analysis and simulation of reverse osmosis equipment: Case of La Guajira, Colombia

Energy resources and potable water are important assets for every country. Electric power produced from renewable sources can be used to provide water desalination systems and meet the energy needs of populations living in isolated and remote areas. This study models and simulates a reverse osmosis (RO) water desalination system using dynamic mathematical models in one dimension, and applies it to water sources from the department of La Guajira, Colombia. Most of the indigenous communities are concentrated in the upper and middle areas of that region, where there are brackish water sources such as groundwater wells that could undergo water purification to improve community’s quality of life. Furthermore, these areas have the best solar radiation potential in Colombia. The Yuyurupana indigenous community was chosen for the study; they are located in the rural area of the municipality of Maicao. This place has a groundwater well with 3055.77 mg/L of total dissolved solids (TDS) and average solar radiation of 4.8 kWh/m2/month. At a feed pressure of 11.65 atm, the system obtained a permeate concentration quality of 317.45 mg/L, which is below the maximum allowable according to the Colombian Ministry of Environment. The specific energy consumption (SEC) was calculated and yielded a value of 0.644 kWh/m3. It requires 152 photovoltaic solar panels and a total area of 294.9 m2 to supply electricity to the system. The mathematical models were validated by comparing results with those of previous studies found in the literature.

Implementation of the classroom pedagogical project 'Managers of Coexistence and Peace' as a strategy for fostering a culture of peace in children in the department of La Guajira

The research focused on coexistence and school peace as part of a scientific project framed within the quality of early childhood education. The experience aimed to contribute to the establishment of a culture of peace through the execution of a psychoeducational program in the child population of the department of La Guajira. The study was conducted with a mixed descriptive approach, based on an action-research design. The results suggest that the implementation of recreational activities and the establishment of pleasant and safe environments promote harmonious coexistence, encourage dialogue in peacebuilding, and reaffirm values. Furthermore, the study revealed that through psychoeducational resources, constructive experiences are generated that allow children and their educators to resolve conflicts peacefully, which strengthened educational communication and contributed to mitigating violence.

Strategies for the adoption of innovation processes in agricultural productive units of the Department of La Guajira -Colombia: Literary review and systemic approach

From the appearance of man to the present, food production has been a critical issue in ensuringthe survival of the human species. Over the centuries, agricultural production has evolved with the domestication of plant and animal species and the emergenceof technologies and techniques in production processes, affecting population growthand cities. The research seeks to describe the strategies for adopting innovation processes in the Department of La Guajira -Colombia agricultural production units.The results show that, in the last four decades, innovation strategies have begun to be discussed as a term that has evolved, going from incorporating new technologies to including elements related to efficiency, economic sustainability, sustainability, redesign of organizational structures, and the implementation of best practices that result in quality, quantity, safety and hygiene of agricultural activities. It is concluded that the studies on innovation strategies in agricultural productive units can be about phenomena that promote agricultural innovation, agricultural production models,and improvements in agricultural production processes, of which there is evidence of application in the Department of La Guajira.

Extractive subjectivity in a corporate coal mining site in Colombia

This article contributes to the emerging scholarship on the formation of extractive subjectivities by exploring relations between a multinational coal-mining company and indigenous, Afro-Colombian and non-indigenous communities living in the surroundings of the mine, located in La Guajira department in northern Colombia. Building on long-term engagement in this region and a review of other comparable cases of subject-making in extractive spaces, the article presents a characterization of the complex subjectivity of 21st-century industrial extractivism. The overarching subjectivity of extraction has multiple (and sometimes conflicting) internal aspects whose appearances vary over time and space, sometimes overlapping simultaneously in the same person. The four major aspects of extractive subjectivity that I identify are refusal or resistance, or what I term risky resilience; hope, which builds on both desire and waiting; ambiguity and doubt; and deep emotions of anxiety and despair. The dimensions are in constant configuration in the encounter with corporate responses to people’s diverse ways of living and reacting to extractive power.

Characterization for compression tests on pet bottles of 600 millilitres, 1.5 and 2.0 liters; filled with sand and particle size of 1.19 mm

Introduction: This article is the product of a research project carried out between 2020 and 2021, with the academic support of Francisco José de Caldas District University, Bogotá Technological Headquarters - Colombia.
 Problem: Propose a construction material for the housing sector, especially aimed at the department of La Guajira, which currently faces a high housing deficit in Colombia.
 Objective: The objective of this research project is the characterization of 600 mL, 1.5 L and 2.0 L PET bottles, filled with sand whose particle size is 1.19 mm.
 Methodology: 12 test tubes were designed for each bottle size. The respective weighing process was carried out before and after filling; The tests consisted on applying compression loads, until reaching structural breakdown.
 Results: The different testing scenarios showed similar resistance parameters. The 600 mL size presented a higher breakdown load than the 1.5 and 2.0 L sizes. The breakdown loads remained within the range of 138 ≤ breaking load (KN) ≤ 240.
 Conclusion: The compressive strengths of the studied materials do not show significant differences. Resistance for bricks = 4.9 MPa and PET (600 ml) = 5.2 MPa
 Originality: The bibliographic review covers a variety of reusable products used for the manufacture of materials in housing construction. The originality lies in the behavior of PET bottles filled with sand for a particle size of 1.19mm, subjected to compression tests in the universal testing machine.
 Limitations: Only particle sizes of 1.19mm were used.

Jumping spiders of the tribe Lapsiini Maddison (Salticidae: Spartaeinae) from Colombia: new species and records.

The spider subfamily Spartaeinae Wanless, with its only New World tribe Lapsiini (Araneae: Salticidae) is for the first time recorded from Colombia. Six new species of the genera Lapsias Simon and Thrandina Maddison are described and illustrated herein from the country. From the Andean region are described: L. iguaque sp. nov. (; Boyac department), Lapsias quimbaya sp. nov. (; Quindo, Risaralda, and Caldas departments), L. tequendama sp. nov. (; Cundinamarca department), L. walekeru sp. nov. (; La Guajira department), and Thrandina colombiaenpaz sp. nov. (; Huila department). From the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Magdalena department, Caribbean region, is described L. tayrona sp. nov. (). In addition, new records of Galianora sacha Maddison and L. lorax Maddison for the country are presented, and the female of L. lorax is described for the first time. Finally, a map with plotted distribution of the tribe Lapsiini from South America is presented.

An Angel for the Dead: Sonia Bermúdez and the Cemetery “People Like Us”

In 1997, Sonia Bermúdez created the cemetery and foundation People Like Us to fulfill what she believes is God’s command: to help others. Sonia is a professional thanatologist who lives in the Colombian Department of La Guajira, in the desertic northeast region, bordering Venezuela, on the Caribbean Coast. At her graveyard, she buries the No Name, N.N., the victims of the country’s multifaceted violence, the homeless people, and those who live in the fringes of society. Since 2016, also, due to an increase in immigration of Venezuelans into Colombia, Sonia started to entomb citizens from the neighboring country, and during 2020, she has done the same for individuals who died from Covid-19. Following her deep religious faith, Sonia’s goal is to provide a dignified burial to those who cannot afford to have one. She does not entertain thoughts about the nationality, history, or economic status of those she ensepulchers, instead Sonia believes that everybody has the right to be put to rest in a decorous way. In this article, I address the aims and nature of People Like Us to explore how this space challenges the conventional dichotomy of official or serious memories versus non-official or trivial ones in Colombia. Mainly analyzing Sonia’s religious beliefs reflected in the way in which she handles and treats the bodies buried in the cemetery, I explore the interactions between local and national memories, to shed light on the “differential local futures in a global world,” which are dynamic, non-binary, and non-linear.

New records and a new cave-dwelling species of Agoristenidae (Arachnida, Opiliones) from Colombia

Three species of Avima are recorded for the first time from Colombia (La Guajira department): A. venezuelica Soares & Avram, 1981, A. troglobia (Pinto-da-Rocha, 1996), and A. wayuunaikiSp. nov. Complementary and new descriptions of the species are offered and scanning electron microscopy photographs of the male genitalia of A. troglobia are given.

Study of the sweet chili pepper (Capsicum chinense) production system in the Caribbean region of Colombia: a technological and socio-economic perspective

The objective of this work was to characterize technologically and economically the sweet chili pepper production system in the Caribbean region of Colombia. A survey was applied to 60 farmers using the simple random sampling technique. The economic returns were analyzed in the producing areas of San Juan del Cesar, in the department of La Guajira, and Ponedera, in the department of Atlántico, with an average of 0.6 hectares of the areas used for planting the sweet chili pepper. The average age of the farmers is 51 years old, with more than 11 years of experience in this crop. The results present differences in terms of production efficiency; for example, it was found that it is higher for the town of San Juan del Cesar, which is explained because the yields are higher by 7 t/ha- 1. In this zone, the net income is higher by a difference of COP 6.399.270 ha-1, concerning the town of Ponedera. It is concluded that the productive chain is not well integrated since the margins of commercialization, in general, are 0.69, which reveals that the farmer is the one who least participates in this surplus generated by the market.