Francisco Meneses used to make his living harvesting coca plants in northern Colombia. Now, Menses, 64, is one of the members of El Carlos eco-lodge. The United Nations, Colombian government and other agencies are hoping such alternative development projects can wean rural communities off the global drug trade. Jim Wyss / The Miami Herald

Naidth Blankicet and her father are among the 17 families who run the El Carlos eco-ldoge in Uraba, Colombia. Jim Wyss / The Miami Herald

Darmiro Panesso Murillo drives a boat toward his village of Puerto Cesar, Colombia. Panesso and other villagers are part of a United Nations program that gives them boats, motors and a market for their fish and seafood. Jim Wyss / The Miami Herald

Alejandro Segura, center, sits in front of his house in Puerto Cesar, Colombia with some of his seven children. Like most of his neighbors, Segura settled in the village -- which has no electricity or running water -- after being chased off his land by guerrillas and paramilitary groups. Many of the villagers are participating in a UN fishing program, which the government says are key to keeping such at-risk populations from joining the drug trade. Jim Wyss / The Miami Herald