Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios - UNIMINUTO

The project "Sustainable use of guadua to strengthen its productive chain in Cundinamarca" is a commitment to generate governance and Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) capacities in the actors of the productive chain of guadua (Bamboo) in Cundinamarca, Colombia, for the productive development, conservation and sustainable use of this resource. The project aims to ensure the provision of ecosystem services of guadua, create businesses under models of circular economy and regeneration, and develop skills in rural families to generate income, strengthen the social fabric and contribute to the mitigation and  adaptation to climate change. 

Considering the above, the Elevate Award funding will be used to develop and strengthen the capacities of the actors in the production chain (producers, processors and sellers) with social and business innovation tools to understand, analyze and create solutions to the development problems they face through the sustainable use of guadua, as well as the transfer of knowledge and experience to design business models that generate income to improve their living conditions. 

My name is Lizeth Angélica Herrera Silva, I am a business administrator and Master in Management and Development Practice. My purpose is to contribute to the creation of sustainable businesses that take advantage of local resources through Science, Technology and Innovation, providing farmers access to tools that strengthen their skills and knowledge to sustainably exploit natural resources and increase their competitiveness. I work as a project analyst in the Social Innovation Science Park (PCIS) of UNIMINUTO and I have implemented social knowledge management strategies for farmers to add value to their products and obtain higher incomes to improve their living conditions. I am convinced that rural communities have the skills, knowledge, and creativity to improve their businesses and that they require support to generate sustainable innovations. My future goals are: i) to consolidate a team committed to promote integrate rural development from the management of STI, ii) to train farmers in sustainable competitiveness, and iii) to provide tools for social innovation and entrepreneurship for the generation of business innovations that bring more competitive rural products to the market. 

In the world, 10 million hectares of forest are deforested annually to meet the needs of the consumer society, leading us to an unprecedented climate crisis. A productive transition is required towards the use of natural resources as substitutes for wood without negative externalities, such as bamboo. Bamboo is recognized worldwide for its rapid growth, physical-mechanical conditions, and the supply of ecosystem services such as CO2 capture (54 ton/ha), water regulation, among others.   

The most representative bamboo in Colombia is guadua. Cundinamarca has natural guadua trees, but they are not used efficiently due to low competitiveness in their management, lack of knowledge of their productive and commercial potential, weak links in the production chain, and scarce technology transfer. Cundinamarca has 540 guadua producers and 120,023 inhabitants who could benefit from its use, but they prefer to cut it down to grow crops with a higher income and environmental impact. 

UNIMINUTO integrates actors to develop social innovation projects with a focus on integral development. We promote the sustainable use of guadua through Social Innovation based on knowledge, articulating researchers and producers to generate sustainable innovations, and strengthening the STI capacities of rural communities to create sustainable business innovations. 

Our work is innovative because we give farmers access to scientific knowledge, recognize their knowledge and encourage them to improve the products they produce with the raw materials they have on their farms. We break with the cliché "science is only for scientists" or "science is only for those who study at universities in the cities” and turn it into tangible innovations that generate income for rural communities. Our approach is based on the principles of sustainable development, shared value and social innovation, which is why we work hand in hand with communities, the public and private sectors, and NGOs to create and implement solutions to economic, social and environmental problems in the territories from the sustainable use of local resources. Our work is unique because we achieve that the beneficiaries and the vulnerable population take ownership of the solutions built, methodologies and sustainable production practices, and our allies in the public and private sector generate shared value.

Our project is developed through UNIMINUTO's Social Innovation Route as a guide for the construction of social innovations. The operation is carried out with and for the beneficiary communities. The methodology is divided into 5 steps; i) Enlist: Definition of allies and required resources, ii) Understand-Analyze: Identification of producers, their traditional knowledge and variables of the central problem. Participatory and detailed analysis of the problem.  Existing solutions are identified to strengthen production chains, iii) Create: Solutions are co-created based on the characteristics of the territory and the problem posed. Prototypes of the proposed solutions are created and validated with end users and financiers. Minimum viable product (MVP) is created. iv) Implement: The MVP developed with the community is implemented. v) Package-Scale: Social technologies are generated by consolidating the knowledge, practices and methods applied, and the solution is taken to another territory or productive chain with similar problems.  

The impact is generated thanks to the participatory process of the actors involved in the problem. This allows the methodology to be appropriated by the beneficiaries and subsequently generate solutions to the problem of guadua and other social, economic and environmental challenges present in the region through individual and collective initiative.