Young People from Trifinio Present Innovative Solutions at the AGROMARKET Hackathon

• The virtual event brought together emerging talents contributing innovative ideas for developing a market intelligence system for agricultural products in the region.

On February 7, nearly 40 young people aged 15 to 24 from the Trifinio Region (border area between Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador) participated in the AGROMARKET Hackathon, an initiative designed to generate innovative solutions to one of the main challenges faced by farming families: access to updated and relevant market information.

This event is part of the Resilient and Biodiverse Landscapes of Northern Mesoamerica Project, funded United Kingdom's Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF) and implemented by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), in collaboration with the Trinational Commission of the Trifinio Plan (CTPT) and local partners.

A Solution to Strengthen Local Agribusiness

Farming families in the Trifinio Region face difficulties accessing information on prices, demand, and market trends, limiting their ability to connect to value chains and negotiate better conditions for their products. To address this challenge, the AGROMARKET Hackathon seeks to develop a Market Intelligence System for Agricultural Products (SIMA) to enhance decision-making and strengthen agribusiness in the region.

The event consists of several phases: Propose, Identifying innovative ideas; Hack, Developing solutions and prototypes; Share, Exchanging knowledge and refining ideas in teams; and Present, Showcasing results and selecting the best proposals.

Hackathon Kickoff

The launch event, held virtually via Zoom, allowed participants to gain a deeper understanding of the problem and receive instructions for the next phases of the process.

During the session, the Resilient and Biodiverse Landscapes of Northern Mesoamerica Project and the general context of the Hackathon were presented, followed by a review of the rules and a Q&A session. Additionally, the problem statement was introduced, along with general background and results from previous studies. Later, participants worked in small groups to develop their initial ideas and received detailed instructions for the next stage.

The AGROMARKET Hackathon now moves into its next phase, where young participants will develop prototypes of innovative solutions, reinforcing their leadership in transforming the agro-productive system and fostering a more sustainable connection between production, economy, and environmental protection in their communities.

Next Steps

The five participating teams are now advancing to the solution development phase, where they will refine their proposals and work on functional prototypes. In the coming weeks, the projects will be evaluated, and the best ideas will be selected, potentially becoming key tools for strengthening the commercialization of agricultural products in the Trifinio Region.