Crump, Vergara headed to Colombia for cacao project

Amanda Crump and Marina Vergara, of the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, have won a federal grant to use the cacao value chain as a point of both learning and international engagement for students here and at La Salle University in Bogotá, Colombia.

The joint program will engage faculty and students at the two institutions “to learn about cacao while sharpening the interdisciplinary and intercultural skills needed for bridging business and cultural gaps. We focus on students frequently denied these opportunities, particularly rural youth, first-generation students and ethnic scholars,” Crump wrote in the project proposal. Crump is an associate teaching professor in international agricultural development.

Vergara, who already has international experience, will help lead the project, which starts this summer. She is a master’s degree candidate in the department’s international agricultural development track.

The project is called “Cacao Innovation Rural Youth Lab: Instilling global values through shared agricultural activities.” It will include experiential learning that covers value chain analysis from planting to processing, looking at sustainable management options for crops, exploring commercialization opportunities and fair trade certifications.

It is among nine projects named winners today in the Cacao for Peace Innovation Fund competition. The competition is part of the 100K Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund, supported by United States Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, in partnership with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and the nonprofit Partners of the Americas.

“Students and faculty from the winning higher education institutions have a unique opportunity to learn from one another as they advance critical cacao research in areas like sustainable productivity, climate resilience and food safety. The outcomes from these projects will positively impact cacao farmers and actors along the entire value chain in Colombia and will support the U.S. chocolate industry ensure a supply of safe, high-quality cacao,” said Otto Gonzalez, senior director for the agricultural economic development division of the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service in USDA.

Universidad de La Salle will receive $20,000 to execute the project.