This paper looks at how Alternative Development has become the main policy approach in reducing the supply of global illicit drugs. This is the process by which coca farmers are encouraged to switch alternative and licit crops such as coffee and cacao. The paper moves on, to analyse how effective these projects are reducing the supply of licit drugs and improving the lives of the farmers and their communities. This is done by looking at how much drug production has been reduced and how resistant these projects can be in the long term, taking what is known as the balloon effect into consideration. It goes further by examining other local initiatives which have the potential to also reduce poverty and dependency on the cultivation of illicit drugs. It goes on to see how the initiatives such as food sovereignty can be integrated into the export driven economy of Colombia. It considers the impact of the ongoing peace talks, which may include land reform and rural development. It concludes that a hybrid model of development based on encourages adding value to produce is the most sustainable livelihood option for rural farmers in Colombia.