Youth in livestock and the transformative power of rural education: the case of Heirs of Tradition, 2012–2020

“How can we continue with our studies?” was one of the first questions asked to the teachers by Luisa, a student attending the Heirs of Tradition livestock production program, implemented by Alquería and the National Training Service (SENA, its Spanish acronym) in Colombia, in view of the relentless spread of the COVID- 19 pandemic in Colombia.1 At first sight, the predictable complications brought along by mandatory confinement to halt the spread of the pandemic could be overcome virtually, the way many students from urban schools and universities are still doing. In the Colombian countryside however, the picture is radically different. In addition to issues related to limited, expensive and not very accessible connectivity, there is the economic impact of the crisis on rural households, the increasing school dropout rates in response to the emerging family needs and the difficulty to provide practical and technical knowledge remotely.2 (Gaviria, 2017; Matijasevic, 2015).