Producer-led innovations for better livelihoods

The Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) has provided business incubation support to the El Ceibo cooperative federation and ADAPICRUZ (Asociacion Departamental de Apicultores de Santa Cruz – Association of Beekeepers of the Department of Santa Cruz) to help their members improve product quality, create value-added products and expand their businesses.

Based in the municipalities of Alto Beni and Palos Blancos in the department of La Paz in western Bolivia, El Ceibo is the country’s largest organic cocoa-producing cooperative federation, bringing together 48 grassroots cooperatives and more than 1,300 members.

Based in Santa Cruz in eastern Bolivia, ADAPICRUZ brings together more than 250 small-scale beekeepers and provides technical support in production, processing and value addition of honey and other bee products.

Forest and Farm Facility activities

El Ceibo identified the need to standardise the process of cacao fermentation, converting a technical challenge into an opportunity for youth employment and improved product quality. With support from the FFF and drawing on a prototype designed by its research department, El Ceibo developed innovative cacao fermentation boxes to optimise fermentation, a critical factor in cocoa quality.

Rather than outsourcing production of the boxes, El Ceibo issued a call out to children of members and young cooperative members, selecting 15 young people to receive carpentry training at INFOCAL (Fundación Nacional para la Capacitación Laboral – National Foundation for Labour Training) in La Paz so they could produce the fermentation boxes themselves.

Since 2020, ADAPICRUZ has responded to the economic shock of the pandemic by reinventing its business model, aiming to open markets for honey. With FFF support, ADAPICRUZ has created a new brand Senda Pura (meaning ‘Pure Path’) and achieved national organic certification, adding value and credibility to its honey products.

Significance of impact

For El Ceibo, the cacao fermentation boxes have proved to be a very effective technological innovation. The boxes have been promoted by the National Cocoa Programme, which placed an order for 150 boxes, extending the technology to other producers nationwide. To date, more than 1,000 boxes have been produced and several of the young people who were trained have since established their own carpentry workshops.

El Ceibo continues production and uses its profits to fund more research, creating a virtuous cycle that benefits cocoa-producing families.

ADAPICRUZ has used FFF-provided technical and financial assistance to adapt the certification processes for beekeeping products, supporting years of planning, producer training and quality control. Through participatory guarantee systems, ADAPICRUZ now certifies honey sourced from agrochemical-free areas across three distinct regions (Chiquitania, the Amazon and the Chaco), highlighting both quality and territorial diversity.

Conclusion

While working in different sectors, both organisations share a common strategy: innovation as a pathway to sustainable livelihoods. ADAPICRUZ strengthened its market position through value addition and certification. El Ceibo has improved processing for better cocoa quality while creating opportunities for rural youth.

Producer-led innovations for better livelihoods

Forest and Farm Facility activities

Significance of impact

Conclusion

Further reading