Profitable, environmentally responsible and socially just businesses? Learn about CATIE's master's degree in agribusiness.

• In 2019, CATIE started a new 100% virtual master's degree program focused on innovation, sustainability and profitability of agribusiness at the local and global level. This 2022 marks the beginning of its fourth graduating class.

October 18, 2022. The integral and sustainable approach to agribusiness models has been one of the basic principles on which the International Master's Degree in Agribusiness and Sustainable Markets (GANEMOS) of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) was born, which has been in constant evolution to offer professionals knowledge, methodologies and tools that generate economic, social and environmental benefits.

In a context where the world is still facing the consequences of Covid-19, the generation of innovative strategies to enable economic recovery is essential, mainly at the level of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises which, according to a 2020 study by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), make up 99% of the business ecosystem and contribute to 61% of formal employment in the region.

"The GANEMOS master's degree focuses on strengthening the skills of professionals who are linked to agriculture so that they can develop business models that are economically profitable, environmentally responsible and socially just, with a clear focus on promoting development from the local to the global level," said Adriana Escobedo, academic coordinator of the master's program.

For more than 20 years, CATIE has been working on processes aimed at the impact of different actors, from the producer family to the consumer in the agri-food value chains of the Latin American region, in which education has stood out as a fundamental pillar to increase the probability of success in differentiated markets, as well as an equitable distribution of resources.

In the last seven years, CATIE's work in this area has had a direct impact on around 500 MiPYMES in 14 countries in the Americas; "our experience is mainly aimed at promoting processes to improve the livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations, through quality improvement, commercial alliances, differentiation and the creation of innovative business models," said Escobedo.

Through GANEMOS, an opening is provided to the student community that allows them access to international networking with representatives from various countries in the region, as well as the opportunity to learn about the different realities and needs of global markets, which are constantly changing and under an important demand for compliance with objectives such as those established by the 2030 Agenda.

"Therefore, agribusiness entrepreneurs need to change the way they conventionally think about business in order to create new business management solutions that today, more than ever, must be sustainable, and the GANEMOS master's program is a high-value platform," Escobedo said.

In 2022, the fourth GANEMOS graduating class of 35 students from Central America, Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico and the United States began their studies, and we wish them the best of success at this stage.

For those newly interested, we also remind you that registration for the class of 2023 is now open, so if you would like to learn more and even start the admission process, you can click here.