Feed the Future Innovation Lab meets in Guatemala

The 2024 Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture Annual Meeting, themed, Local Leadership in Building Horticulture Resilience to Climate Change, took place in Antigua, Guatemala. It brought together global experts and stakeholders in horticulture to foster collaboration and share knowledge. 

The event was hosted by Zamorano University, the Horticulture Innovation Lab’s Central America Regional Hub. Supporting were the Universidad del Valle, Rafael Landivar University and Acceso, a non-profit organization supporting the horticulture value chain in Central America. These supporting organizations and universities are all leading research projects in Guatemala to build resilience to climate change for small-scale producers. 

On the first official day, Monday, June 3, the meeting commenced with a welcome session led by Julio Lopez, Central America Regional Hub manager, Dr. Celia Trejo Ramos, and Horticulture Innovation Lab Director Erin J. McGuire. The day included various sessions, beginning with setting objectives for the meeting, where McGuire and Associate Director Archie Jarman discussed the goals and the importance of assessing impact and communicating success. Regional breakout sessions followed, focusing on reviewing project information and understanding the progress made.

Notable presentations included Project Manager Kristen Becker's analysis of midstream actors in Nigeria's informal horticulture sector and Program Officer Lydiah Maranga's stakeholder analysis of the DryCard™ project in Kenya. Discussions on measuring project impact, emerging innovations, and effective communication strategies were central themes throughout the day. 

Tuesday, June 4, continued with more regional breakout sessions, where Principal Investigators (PIs) from the Innovation Lab’s global projects joined remotely or in person to engage and consult with our Consortium and International Advisory Board members. The day emphasized the importance of equitable scaling of innovations and technologies, with groups sharing insights and strategies for sustainable impact. The afternoon featured deep dives into program impact assessment, communications, and designing for sustainable interventions.

How-to's shared internationally

Wednesday, June 5, designated as Workshop Day, involved a series of specialized workshops. Topics included GenderUp training on gender integration and equitable scaling in horticulture projects, led by Kristen Becker and gender specialist Janelle Larson from Pennsylvania State University, and a horticulture investment study by Graduate Student Researcher Katheryn Gregerson and East Africa Regional Hub Manager, Penina Yumbya. Jan Middendorf, associate director of the Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab, and Vikram Koundinya, from the UC Davis Human Ecology Department, facilitated a workshop on measuring impact.

The day concluded with an integrated pest management workshop by Edgar Montenegro, followed by an evening meeting for board members and regional hub managers. 

Thursday, June 6, began with a welcome session by Sergio Rodriguez, Rector from Zamorano, and presentations by Erin McGuire and Gerson Morales from USAID in Guatemala. William Alexander Oliva Pichiya – representative for the Minister of Agricultural Development of Guatemala, Maynor Estrada, delivered a keynote on Guatemala's horticulture situation. Other notable sessions included a lecture on climate change's impact on food production by Diego Pons and a presentation on the Innovation Network Survey by post-doctoral researcher Michel Kabirigi. The afternoon included technical presentations, a research poster session, and Q&A discussions, closing with comments summarizing the day. 

The final day, Friday, June 7, featured visits to various horticulture sites. Participants departed early for Rijk Zwaan, followed by a visit to the ICTA Vegetable Center and ADISAGUA. In the afternoon, the group visited small farmers in Chuixilón and Chirijuyu engaged in the research projects being led by Universidad del Valle and Accesso. 

The meeting successfully facilitated knowledge exchange, highlighted significant research findings, and fostered strategic collaborations aimed at enhancing the impact of horticulture innovations. Through various sessions, workshops, and field visits, participants engaged in meaningful discussions on how to effectively scale and sustain horticulture projects, ultimately contributing to the broader goals of the Horticulture Innovation Lab.