Fourth Cohort of the GANEMOS Master's Program Begins Final Presentations

• Ecuadorian student, Edson David Sánchez, was the first from this cohort to fulfill the academic requirement by presenting his results on a scaling model in the rice value chain.

The scaling opportunity identified for the Babahoyo Irrigation project, managed by the Babahoyo Users’ Board of Irrigation and Drainage, Ecuador, highlighted that it is a functional scaling, which seeks to create a greater impact in the production chain and generate higher added value. This was one of the conclusions reached by Edson David Sánchez through his final graduation project for the Master's in Agribusiness Management and Sustainable Markets (GANEMOS), at CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center).

“This scaling involves the commercialization of milled rice, allowing the organization to participate in the processing and marketing links,” explained Sánchez.

“Analyzing the current situation of the organization, it was notable to observe how an entity whose main purpose is to provide irrigation and drainage services was deeply committed to collaborations with research institutes and private companies,” added the student.

He explained that this commitment focused on establishing biotechnology and sustainable development programs to benefit the sector.

Another finding highlighted in the work concerns the price factor.

“Studying the behavior of prices in the market, it was surprising to see the instability of the price of husked rice throughout the year. Often, this price does not cover production costs. In contrast, the milled rice market remains quite stable regardless of fluctuations in the price of husked rice,” shared Sánchez.

For the student, this last result was crucial for the organization to set an attractive and fair price for farmers.

It should be noted that the organization has 980 users, of which 90% are dedicated to rice production.

The impact of GANEMOS

“The GANEMOS master's program offers a comprehensive perspective on the viability and development of an organization, focusing on three fundamental pillars: economic, social, and environmental,” shared the Ecuadorian student.

“This approach prepares us to effectively address market dynamics through sustainable programs, thus achieving a competitive advantage for organizations, which gives them a greater opportunity for success in the market,” concluded Sánchez.

The GANEMOS master’s program was launched in 2019 and has more than 80 graduates. “With the presentation of Edson David Sánchez's final work on April 1st, a new academic process began for students to obtain their degree as masters in Sustainable Markets and Agribusiness Management at CATIE,” shared Andrea Garay, a specialist in sustainable agribusiness and director of the graduation project.

“This work reflects the interest of the master's students in undertaking specific actions in their countries, benefiting enterprises, associations, and other organizations linked to the agricultural sector,” mentioned Garay.

She added that the results of Sánchez's final work are undoubtedly an input for the fulfillment of the objectives that the Babahoyo Irrigation project and its associates have set.

About GANEMOS

GANEMOS is a master's program offered in a virtual modality with a duration of 18 months, with the first 12 months dedicated to courses for the development of theoretical, conceptual, methodological, and instrumental phases. The last six months correspond to the application phase, also called the Final Graduation Work.

For those interested, this year the master's program is in the process of recruitment to start classes in September. The information request form is available here: https://agronegocios.catie.ac.cr/