Technological and Productive Architecture for the Cocoa Sector- Tumaco Case

Universidad nacional de Colombia sede Bogotá. Facultad de ingeniería. Departamento de ingeniería Química y ambiental.

Author: Nadira Georgedt Aziz Corredor; ngazizc @unal.edu.co

Context.

Tumaco is a little town in the pacific coast of Colombia. In Tumaco, cocoa crops is one of the most important economic activities, representing a third of the total area planted and the source of income of 8,000 families. However, the low prices at which farmers pay grain has led the population to migrate to illicit crops as a source of higher income. This corresponds to a daunting panorama for the producing communities, notwithstanding the multiple high added value business opportunities that exist for the cocoa sector if the technologies required for the purposes are adequately incorporated.

The national government has identified a problem in the agro-industrial sector and wich is one of the most important sectors for the Colombian economy, since it generates a significant contribution to the national GDP and it seeks to promote sustained increases in productivity that significantly impact the economy.

In order to solve the problems of the sector and towards competitiveness and development, in the NATIONAL DEVELOPMNET PLAN and CONPES 3866, sectoral and territorial development policies have been proposed, which seek to increase productivity through innovation and promotion of strategic sectors. To this end, the CRCs (COMISION REGIONAL DE COMTETITIVIDAD) have been created, which structure, coordinate, formulate, evaluate and follow up on the Regional Competitiveness Plan, identifying macroprojects that generate regional impact, improving productivity and competitiveness.

Under this political panorama, it has been shown that cocoa is one of the strategic sectors for the agroindustrial development of the municipality, thanks to its high value business possibilities. In addition, cocoa is one of the potential crops for the post-conflict period, where international and national funding will be generated to encourage the change of illicit crops: coca. In the particular case of Tumaco by cacao crops. In this context, the possibilities of creating a strategic position that makes the cocoa sector of Tumaco and Nariño one of the most important centers of value is evident, increasing competitiveness both in national markets and in international markets and meeting the expectations of the community for ensure well-being in it.

Therefore, it is proposed to work specifically on technological development since it is understood as a state of collective ownership of knowledge and knowledge, applied to productive and organizational structures that generate new value propositions, which has to do with the processes and tools used by a community, with a common economic activity, to advance their capacities and respond to the demands of their natural market, it guarantees competitiveness and consequently economic development and in turn development of society.

The management of systems as complex as that of the productive sectors and even the cocoa sector in Tumaco require a theoretical and strategic framework that explains relationships, organizes and manages information. To this end, a model of technological and productive architecture for the sector must be proposed, providing the tools to integrate all the key actors and institutions, aligning them in the same high-value business vision, articulating them in search of synergies that are developed when relationships are generated of value among the actors, to configure them to find the appropriate organization that allows a sequencing and make relevant the actions carried out by the subsystems and that generates a transformation, where finally a significant change takes place in the sector, becoming a functional, sustainable system and competitive at the national level.

In the first instance, it is necessary to carry out a prospective exercise that allows the recognition of future scenarios and identify high-value business opportunities for the sector, so that sector technological development will be planned. This is based on the search for a common vision for the future, starting from the base on a human scale, allowing the identification of the purpose of the sectoral development and directing the actions towards the new reality constructed by the same local actors.

Objetives

General objective

• Propose a model of Technological and Productive Architecture to mark the economic development of the cocoa sector of Tumaco territory.

Specific objectives

• Propose a business portfolio of high value for the cocoa sector
• Identify existing technological gaps for the incorporation of added value to the production of the territory
• Generate Road Maps - Road Maps for the articulation and alignment of ID + i activities by going forward
• Propose strategies and tactics for the model implementation of the Technological and Productive Architectures for the sector
• Provide a basis for the formulation of a Strategic Plan for technological and productive development
• Promote the formulation of initiatives for productive development in the direction of business opportunities in the short, medium and long term.

Methodology

To address the different phases of the project, three methodologies will be used, as follows:

• Agrospective Methodology: Mainly oriented to the identification of innovation opportunities based on the analysis of the macro trends and their contextualization in the Colombian environment. Its principle is the construction of a vision of the future of common interest, based on the principles of development on a human scale. It allows the identification of high added value business opportunities and the definition of the value levers and the potential lines of business for the sector. Finally, it contributes elements to direct the actions towards new realities dables to build from the social alabase of producers of the territory.

This methodology is based on the analysis of the trends of Life Forms and Consumption, Drivers or business and engineering designers.

• SMOD Methodology: It allows to shape the vision for development by modifying three scenarios: the Acceptable by the market and business environment, the Desirable by the actors of a sector or territory and the agencies of development promotion and the Possible since the point of view of productive and technological capabilities. The intersection of the three scenarios gives information about the Future Dable for the cocoa sector of the territory. The objective of the prospective study based on this methodology is to define the future scenarios and establish the necessary development actions to increase the potential for the territory, through the generation and appropriation of new knowledge.
• Technological Roadmapping: The mapping of technological routes is a tool to explain, align and articulate the different R & D actions to be advanced by key players. It is based on the construction of maps or roadmaps to advance the management, monitoring and control of the different initiatives and project for development oriented to the achievement of specific technological and productive development objectives.