During the 1980's and 1990's, there was not much of a culture around cacao in the San Martin region of Peru. Coca dominated the province of San Martin because the market for coca was strong and paid well. Some farmers grew cacao, but it was not as profitable as coca. International commodities brokers were not looking to pay farmers well for their cacao, so farmers continued to grow the crop that did pay well, coca. The brokers scoured the globe looking for the most desperate cacao growers who would take anything they could get for their production, leaving Peruvian farmers to grow coca.
Respect for traditional use, but...
Coca leaves are used as a traditional remedy in Peru, but there is much more leaf than is needed for traditional uses. The leaf contains less than one percent of the alkaloid called cocaine and has less stimulant effect than your cup of coffee. Coca is full of calcium and other vitamins and minerals. (Harvard Study - Nutritional Value of Coca Leaf (Duke, Aulick, Plowman 1975)
In its natural state, coca has beneficial properties. In its refined state, it causes problems for families in the developed world and needs to be controlled. Supply and demand drives the refinement of coca. The UN convened a body to review its drug policy and more resources can be found here.
Destructive vs. Constructive
Eradication of coca has punished farmers while failing to reduce the prevalence of coca in Peru. Eradication efforts cause farmers to move their coca crops every couple of years to avoid eradication of their livelihood. Farmers clear swaths of rain forest, plant coca, harvest, and then move to another area of rain forest, clear that and continue the cycle. Farmers in San Martin needed to provide for their families, and coca was a crop that allowed them to feed their families. Destructive strategies do not address the underlying reasons for coca production.
Sustainable alternatives to coca have been sought for years. In the early years, low value crops were suggested to farmers as substitutes to coca. The low value and labor intensity of the alternatives made them unsustainable. Would you want to work twice as hard to earn less than half as much?
Cacao and coffee are two alternatives that thrive in the same climate as coca and have replaced much of the coca that had been grown in San Martin. The superior quality of coffee and cacao grown in eastern Peru earn a higher price when farmers take their harvest to market. Coffee and cacao also help preserve the environment since they grow on the same piece of land for upward of 30 years, maintaining biodiversity of the land ensures the land's continued fertility. The region of San Martin is one of the best examples of how to transition from a narco-zone to a thriving region that provides opportunity to its people.
How we fit into the bigger picture | 
