AgroMarket Hackathon close with innovative ideas to strengthen agribusiness in the Trifinio Region

• Teams present technological solutions to improve access to agricultural markets in the region

The AgroMarket hackathon successfully concluded, highlighting the creativity and commitment of young participants from the Trifinio Region (the border area between Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador). After 34 days of intensive work, the finalist teams presented their proposals to a panel of judges, demonstrating their ability to develop innovative solutions that contribute to strengthening local agribusinesses.

The HarvestLink team won first place, followed by AGROCONECTA in second and AGRO_INTRI in third. As recognition for their effort and innovation, each team will receive a prize: 1,500 USD for first place, 1,000 USD for second place, and 500 USD for third place. These prizes aim to encourage young people to continue innovating and contributing to the sustainable development of the Trifinio Region and their communities.

Participants and winning proposals

First place – HarvestLink team (all from Ocotepeque, Honduras)
• Mabely Janeth Romero López
• Jesús Abrahán Pineda Palencia
• Marlon Adalid Arita Salvador
Their proposal consisted of a WhatsApp distribution channel that provides farmers with information on market prices, weather forecasts, and crop management, reducing dependence on intermediaries and improving decision-making.

Second place – AGROCONECTA team
• Jairo Josué Chinchilla López (Honduras)
• Kevin Steven Valle Valle (El Salvador)
This team presented an automated system that sends data on prices, demand, and agricultural training to producers via WhatsApp, Messenger, or SMS, facilitating their connection to the market and improving planning.

Third place – AGRO_INTRI team
• Marlis Fabiola Gutiérrez Martínez (Guatemala)
• Marvin Aníbal Torres Magaña (El Salvador)
This team’s proposal focused on a mobile application that provides rural families in the Trifinio Plan with key information to improve the commercialization of their products, reducing the digital divide in the agricultural sector.

A total of 40 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 from the Trifinio Region registered to participate in this hackathon, including 57.5% women and 42.5% men. This initiative was designed to generate innovative solutions to one of the main challenges faced by farming families: access to up-to-date and relevant market information. The participants came from the three countries that make up the region, with 10% from El Salvador, 40% from Guatemala, and 50% from Honduras, reflecting a regional effort to strengthen agribusiness through technological innovation.

Mabely Romero, from the HarvestLink team, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to participate. "This space has provided us with valuable knowledge and experience. Thank you for considering our communities and agriculture," she said. Likewise, Jairo Chinchilla, from the AgroConecta team, stated that the hackathon was a great experience for learning how to develop prototypes that solve problems and thanked all the organizations involved for promoting the initiative.

The AgroMarket hackathon was organized within the framework of the Resilient and Biodiverse Landscapes of Northern Mesoamerica project, part of the United Kingdom’s Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF), 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.

Each of the proposals presented will be part of the Market Intelligence System being designed within this project, which will allow the data collected during the hackathon to be used to develop digital tools that benefit producer communities.

During the closing event, Marijose Vilá, BLF Coordinator for Mesoamerica, welcomed attendees, expressing her gratitude and enthusiasm for the hackathon's development.

After the presentations, the judges highlighted the quality of the proposals and encouraged participants to continue exploring the potential of technology in the agricultural sector.

Alejandro Solís, an international consultant and entrepreneur in international development, emphasized the importance of moving forward: "I congratulate the three groups, keep going. Technology is a vehicle that allows you to advance, create viable products, demos, prototypes, and seek new forms of financing. It is very satisfying to see young people with innovative ideas that break paradigms, and that is what we need in this society."

For her part, Alejandra Martínez-Salinas, Coordinator of the Forests and Biodiversity in Productive Landscapes Unit at CATIE, highlighted the effort and dedication of the young participants. "The effort you put in was evident during your presentations, and it took us time to deliberate, as we truly believe that all the proposals were very strong," she said.

Finally, Ximena Leiva, Director of the BLF/DEFRA Mesoamerica Program, emphasized the perseverance of the participants and their potential for the future, while also expressing her gratitude for their time and effort throughout the process.

The AgroMarket hackathon would not have been possible without the valuable support of the mentors, who, with their experience and guidance, helped the young participants develop their innovative proposals.

Evelyn Chaves, hackathon facilitator from the Environmental Economics and Sustainable Agribusiness Unit (UEAAS/EfD) at CATIE, thanked the students and graduates of CATIE’s Master's in Sustainable Agribusiness Management, who contributed with their knowledge and commitment to strengthening the solutions presented.

This hackathon aimed to foster technological innovation to strengthen sustainable development in the Trifinio Region. "Its results not only demonstrate the talent of young people in the region, but also represent an important step towards building digital tools that improve market information access for farming families," Chaves stated.

To learn more about the winning ideas and the work of the teams, you can watch the videos prepared by the teams below:

• HarvestLink
• AGROCONECTA
• AGRO_INTRI