Colombia promised that a free trade agreement with the United States will create jobs and stimulate the economy, but farmers in the country fear their livelihoods are at risk and they will become prey of large US agribusiness.

The government said the accord, which came into effect this week, will add as much as 1 percentage point of growth to the economy and trim two percentage points from unemployment.

Small-scale farmers, however, fear that the local market will succumb to cheap US exports and that thousands will lose their jobs.

Alessandro Rampietti reports from Saldana, Colombia.