Fruits of the Forest Colombia: Just rural transition through bioeconomy products

The project

This project focuses on enhancing applied research and bioeconomy product development for sustainable management of ACCC, which include:

• Açaí “Euterpe precatoria” – a palm tree producing edible fruit
• Camu camu, “Myrciaria dubia” – an evergreen shrub with round berries
• Copuazú “Theobroma grandiflorum” – a rainforest tree related to cacao
• Corozo “Bactris guineensis” – a palm tree producing reddish-purple fruit

The project also aims to enhance agroecology and agroforestry practices for land restoration and market integration of producers, improving government ability to develop policies to incubate and accelerate competitive bioeconomy products, developing a robust traceability system for Non-Timber Forest Products NTFPs, and creating a financing model that rewards ecosystem services provided by ACCC producers.

The project seeks transformative change in the Natural Ingredients Sub-sector by strengthening a multi-stakeholder platform to improve competitiveness and governance. The platform aims to promote collaboration across farmer associations, SMEs, business chambers, research institutions, and national and local public entities, enabling a more effective contribution to the sustainability and inclusiveness of the NTFP and agroforestry sectors. 

With support from UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT), the project will expand these governance models to the four selected value chains (Asaí; Camu camu; Copuazú; and Corozo, ACCC), fostering their long-term sustainability through ongoing support. The project helps four producers’ associations with 35% women, to improve agroforestry practices and market access in the ACCC supply chains for Selva Nevada, a Colombian company in the bioeconomy sector specialised in natural food products. Selva Nevada respects sustainable harvesting and supports local communities, promoting environmental conservation and social responsibility.

Project Goals

• Capacity Building: The project will include training workshops and capacity-building sessions for stakeholders to enhance their skills in sustainable practices and governance.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: A robust monitoring and evaluation framework will be established to track progress and assess the impact of interventions on the selected value chains and communities.
• Community Engagement: Active engagement with local communities will ensure that their needs and perspectives are incorporated into project activities, fostering local ownership and sustainability.
• Policy Advocacy: The project will advocate for supportive policies that promote sustainable agriculture and bioeconomy practices, ensuring long-term benefits for local producers.
• Knowledge Sharing: Regular knowledge-sharing events and publications will disseminate best practices and lessons learned, facilitating collaboration and innovation among stakeholders.
• Partnership Development: Strengthening partnerships with international organisations and research institutions to leverage additional expertise and resources

Project partners

• Implementer of the UK Pact Programme: Palladium
• National and local authorities
• Private company and consortium partner: Selva Nevada