Puebla Advances in Consolidating Technical Knowledge with the Talento Agro Program

• Technical personnel from the Secretariat of Rural Development of Puebla and other state institutions were trained by CATIE specialists in sustainable agribusiness in the design of business models and agribusiness simulators.

The second diploma course, "Tools for the Financial and Market Management of Producer Organizations," was held in Puebla, Mexico, featuring Module 1: "Agro-Sustainable Business Models," conducted in a face-to-face format. This course is part of the Talento Agro Program: Building Competencies and Impact Tools for Managers of Sustainable Agribusinesses.

The course was divided into two sections: the first dedicated to the design of sustainable business models and the second to the introduction of financial concepts using agribusiness simulators, in collaboration with the German Foundation Services (FAS). Participants worked on an agribusiness simulator designed to strengthen financial concepts through gameplay.

This diploma course is taught by specialists in sustainable agribusiness from the Environmental Economics and Sustainable Agribusiness Unit (UEAAS/EfD) at CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center). It focuses on developing business and financial capacities, aiming to enable technical personnel to transfer this knowledge to their training and technical assistance activities provided to the producers they serve.

Throughout the week, participants developed business models for products such as mezcal, vanilla, specialty coffee, cocktail mix with coffee and mezcal, melipona bee honey, and mead.

“Part of their tasks was to identify their market segments, product distribution channels, create their value proposition, define their key activities and resources, as well as their revenue and costs,” said Evelyn Chaves, a sustainable agribusiness specialist at CATIE and one of the main course instructors. She added that field practices were conducted through interviews with establishments and potential customers and consumers of the products.

“The high quality of the technical personnel who participated in the training process stands out, as well as the high regard they are already receiving for their professional performance from the producers they serve in their work,” Chaves added.

Additionally, during the course, the top three performers from the first diploma course were awarded, all of whom were officials from the Secretariat of Rural Development of the state of Puebla:

• First Place: Apolinar Sánchez González, field technician
• Second Place: Alfredo López Jasso, analyst
• Third Place: Julio César Rosette Castro, coordinator of field technicians

The course was inaugurated by Oscar Hernández, Undersecretary of the Secretariat of Rural Development, who congratulated his team for their academic performance and responsibility with the Talento Agro study program. He also emphasized the need to continue strengthening their capacities as a way to improve the conditions of the producers they serve.

In the coming weeks, the training process will continue virtually, focusing on topics such as market strategies, product differentiation, cost registration and analysis, interpretation of financial ratios, and development of investment plans.

For CATIE and the German Technical Cooperation (GIZ), through the Vida y Campo project, this process confirms the need to continue strengthening the capacities, knowledge, and skills of technical personnel who have such a challenging role, such as maintaining and improving the support processes for small producers, to ensure the supply of basic products for the economy of the state of Puebla.