Colombia pays farmers to uproot coca crops in fight against cocaine
Colombia pays farmers to uproot coca crops in fight against cocaine

With cocaine production at an all-time high, Colombia's government is trying a new approach to its narcotics problem: paying farmers to uproot crops of coca, the drug's main ingredient.

Among the beneficiaries are Alirio Caicedo and his son Nicolas, who a decade ago planted an expanse of coca as they staked their future on the continued patronage of criminal gangs.

Today, they are uprooting the crops and hoping for the best.