Yuleima Acosta - Banana Worker and Environmental Engineering student at AGROSIETE, Colombia
As climate change brings stronger heatwaves and less predictable rainfall to Colombia’s banana-growing regions, Yuleima Acosta is helping protect the water resources that farming communities rely on.
7 Questions with Yuleima
Tell us about yourself, Yuleima
"My name is Yuleima Acosta. I am 21 years old and I work in Environmental Management at AGROSIETE. I live with my mother and my two sisters, and alongside my work I'm studying Environmental Engineering."
What does your work involve?
"A lot of my work is focused on the relationship between banana production and natural resources. We look at ways to reduce environmental impacts and protect the resources that farms depend on, especially water."
Why is water so important to you?
"Water is essential. I believe water is life for us human beings. That's why taking care of it is so important. Everything we do depends on it."
What changes have you seen in the climate?
"Before, you could predict when it would rain, when summer was coming, when the weather would be a bit cooler. Nowadays, it might be torrential rain, and later there's intense sunshine, even within the same day."
"A banana worker being in the field at twelve midday, with strong heat, can even affect their health."
How are you helping to protect water on the farm?
"One of the main strategies has been water recirculation systems. On some farms, the water can remain for eight months, even up to a year, being recirculated."
"We think water can be infinite, but if we don't care for it properly, we're going to be very affected in the future."
What worries you most about the future?
"Maybe we won't experience the worst consequences, but future generations could be very affected. We have to think about what future we're leaving them."
How is Fairtrade supporting you and your work?
"Fairtrade has helped through training and guidance that supports environmental management on farms. It gives me peace of mind knowing that, thanks to Fairtrade, we're implementing actions to be able to face what's coming further ahead."
Protecting water in a changing climate
In Colombia's Urabá region, climate change is making it harder for banana farmers and workers to predict the conditions they rely on. Rainfall patterns have become increasingly erratic, with periods of intense downpours often followed by extreme heat. As Yuleima explains, "Before, you could predict when it would rain, when summer was coming, when the weather would be a bit cooler. Nowadays, it might be torrential rain, and later there's intense sunshine, even within the same day."
These changes affect both crops and the people who grow them. Higher temperatures can make working conditions more challenging, particularly for those spending long days in the field. "A banana worker being in the field at twelve midday, with strong heat, can even affect their health," says Yuleima.
For Yuleima, the growing pressure on water resources is especially concerning. "Water is essential. I believe water is life for us human beings," she says. As temperatures rise and weather becomes less predictable, protecting water supplies is becoming increasingly important for the long-term resilience of farming communities and the ecosystems they depend on.
Helping banana farms adapt with Fairtrade
At AGROSIETE, environmental management is a key part of building resilience to climate change. One of the most important initiatives has been the introduction of water recirculation systems, allowing water used during banana production to be reused for months at a time rather than constantly being replaced.
"On some farms, the water can remain for eight months, even up to a year, being recirculated," Yuleima explains. The system helps reduce water consumption while ensuring farms can continue operating efficiently during periods of environmental stress.
For Yuleima, these measures are about more than protecting today's harvests. "We think water can be infinite, but if we don't care for it properly, we're going to be very affected in the future," she says. Her concerns are focused on the generations to come: "Maybe we won't experience the worst consequences, but future generations could be very affected. We have to think about what future we're leaving them."
Fairtrade supports this work through training, guidance and investments that help producer organisations respond to climate-related challenges. For workers like Yuleima, that support helps turn environmental knowledge into practical action on farms. Despite the challenges ahead, she remains hopeful: "It gives me peace of mind knowing that, thanks to Fairtrade, we're implementing actions to be able to face what's coming further ahead."
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