Project Execution: October 2019 – April 2021
Location: Briceño, Antioquia (Colombia)
Beneficiaries:
Coffee growers and their families
Teachers of the region
Women coffee growers
Young people
Associations with a coffee vocation
Educational community of Briceño-palmichal corridor
Partners:
Tetra Tech
ALO & Parters operator in alliance with Makaia
Urbania Café & A New Sunrise, private coffee marketers allies
It´s an agreement under the modality of subvention between Tetra Tech and Makaia with ALO partners as operating partners in the sum of joint efforts to positively impact the coffee community of the municipality of Briceño, in the north of the department of Antioquia, it has been prioritized as a PDET (Development Programs with Territorial Approach) territory, and is linked to the National Integral Program for the Substitution of Crops for Illicit Use (PNIS, National Integral Substitution Plan). In this process, it was defined that, given the conditions, potentialities, and productive capacities of both the territory and the community, the main product to achieve substitution would be coffee.
This model (already in execution) was defined to strengthen the coffee value chain, through technical assistance, the transfer of knowledge and technology on the productive processes of coffee from differentiated markets, to improve the quality of life of coffee farmers, their families and communities, further promoting social inclusion, associativity and connectivity, encouraging integrated gender approaches and linking young people as knowledge multipliers and creators of solutions.
This strengthening raises the specialization of coffee growers in the production of specialty coffees and their insertion in the coffee market with greater economic projection. Additionally, it is accompanied with the structuring of a business associative model, ICT adoption and appropriation processes, with the objective of providing useful tools in the development of the training and agricultural processes of coffee growers and their families.
To promote the economic and sustainable development of the municipality of Briceño (Antioquia), through the promotion of social and economic inclusion of coffee growers, their families and the educational community, the strengthening of local associativity, and positioning in the differentiated coffee market of coffee production activity.
The model to be implemented is an integral model where the technical and technological elements are articulated as a strategy to improve the efficiency of the value chain, and the quality and productivity, highlighting the coffee vocation of the municipality and connecting the coffee growers with the world.
The process links the transfer of knowledge to the communities, the specialty on the different types of coffee defined, the technological, technical and business strengthening of the coffee association of the municipality as a potential consolidator of the model, and the insertion of the municipality as producer and marketer of Coffee of better quality, which integrates its daily dynamics with the culture of coffee as its own, by strengthening a value chain of a differentiated product built from the social fabric.
1. Strengthening the coffee value chain: Strengthen the coffee value chain in Briceño, improving its quality, productivity through technical assistance and knowledge transfer, through the insertion into the market of differentiated coffee, as a consequence, it will improve the coffee culture and the quality of life of the coffee families in the area.
2. Business, technical and technological strengthening of a local-based associative model: Identify and promote the consolidation of a local-based associative model by improving its business, technical and digital capabilities, for insertion into the specialty coffee business.
3. Connectivity: Ensure high-speed and low-cost Internet connectivity using TV white spaces (TVWS) technology in 6 schools of the Briceño – Palmichal corridor.
4. Appropriation of ICTs and development of digital capabilities in the coffee value chain: Implement ICT appropriation processes aimed at 150 coffee families, at least 30 young people from the corridor, and between 10 to 15 teachers in the educational community of the 6 prioritized educational institutions, to improve the access to information and the appropriation of good practices in the coffee sector.
What is TVWS?
TVWS (for its acronym in TV White Spaces) can be defined as the channels that are not being used when we turn on the TV. These channels that we see as a blue, black or gray screen interference, are part of the electromagnetic spectrum that carries the signals to our homes.
The investigations of technological giants such as Microsoft, have allowed us to use those channels that until now had no function, to develop the TVWS technology that allows to transmit Internet of high quality and install it in rural areas where by network infrastructure or geography (mountains or forests) are difficult to reach.