Colombians strike over widespread poverty

A strike by thousands of Colombian workers against the government over the state of the country's economy has brought parts of the South American country to a standstill.

Many of the protesters are farmers who say the state has failed to subsidise the agricultural sector, a major source of the country's wealth, causing them to live in serious poverty.

The government has deployed thousands of security forces across the country, threatening strikers with jail time and fines.

Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo reports from Aruaca, Colombia.