The Peasant Farmers’ Association of the Cimitarra River Valley (ACVC) carries out social, political and community work in nearly 120 small rural communities, in eight municipalities in the Magdalena Medio region. It has approximately 25,000 members who are small-scale farmers (campesinos).

ACVC's work is centred on the Peasant Farmer Reserve Zone (or Peasant Enterprise Zone) and its Sustainable Development Plan, which focuses on issues of human rights, education, health, and agriculture. 

The Association also works on education, organising and lobbying to promote redistribution of land, respect for human rights, and improvement of the lives of traditional small farmers (in the short term), as well as favourable conditions for structural changes needed in the Colombian countryside (in the long term).

Since its creation in 1996, ACVC members have been the victims of murders, death threats, arbitrary detentions, forced displacements, forced disappearances, acts of torture, the destruction of housing, and food and medical blockades. Five ACVC members have been murdered and another survived an armed attack by paramilitaries.

In late 2007/early 2008, ACVC's entire board of directors was subjected to criminalisation, resulting in imprisonment for up to two years for some, before a judge ruled that the charges were without grounds.

In 2002, the Colombian government issued precautionary measures to protect ACVC members, as requested by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Peace Brigades International has accompanied them since 2007.

In 2010, ACVC received Colombia's National Peace Prize.