Zoyla Moreno, manager of ADOPCAM, during the EUROSAN Innova Contract Signing ceremony (Source: foroinnovacionsan.org)The Association Denomination of Origin Coffee Marcala (ADOPCAM) and the ETEA Foundation – Development Institute of the University Loyola Andalucía have been awarded in the “Competition for innovative ideas and solutions in FNS: EUROSAN INNOVA” with an initiative on ‘Development of methodologies for the production of healthy food and beverages from coffee by-products‘ in western Honduras.
On April 2, the EUROSAN Innova Contract Signing ceremony was held in Tegucigalpa, in the presence of the European Union (EU) Authorities, the Technical Unit for Food Security and Nutrition (UTSAN), the General Coordination Secretariat of Government (SCGG) of Honduras and EUROSAN West, as well as the winners of the competition, among them Zoyla Moreno, manager of ADOPCAM.
With an investment of 2.4 million euros, the competition has awarded eight innovative ideas, out of a total of 173 proposals submitted, including solutions for the production of therapeutic milk for malnutrition in children under five, aquaponics, food production with coffee by-products, bioplastics, quality water with solar energy, climate change, virtual markets, medical consultations by digital means and family hydroponics.
Within the framework of the EUROSAN Occidente project, the European Union and the Government of Honduras are promoting this grant competition for the development and field testing of innovative ideas, practices and technologies that contribute to solving/mitigating problems related to FNS in Honduras. Awardees will receive the necessary funding and technical assistance to implement the initiatives within 14 months.
Technological innovation for the production of flour and tea from coffee pulp
The main objective of the ADOPCAM and ETEA Foundation proposal is to create sustainable agricultural systems to increase food production. This aspect will be addressed with the cultivation of coffee, which is the engine of the region’s economy. The action focuses on the sub-product known as coffee pulp, through the design of a methodology that allows for a food and value-added use for coffee-producing families, through the production of flour and tea, while implementing mechanisms to reduce the contamination caused by this crop.
The techniques for making food from coffee pulp will be made available to the organizations so that they can start selling these products, which would be a means of diversifying family income. Researchers from Loyola Andalucía University, Mª José Montero and Rafael Araque, will participate in the project to design a marketing strategy to identify the factors that can hinder or boost the consumption of this new product and to supervise the communication actions that will be aimed at promoting the consumption of healthy, better quality and more nutritious food among the population.
ADOPCAM and ETEA Foundation, a story that began “with a coffee”.
ADOPCAM and ETEA Foundation began collaborating in 2011 with dialogues and one-off meetings that led to the approval and implementation of the project “The Marcala Coffee Designation of Origin as a tool to boost local development in the department of La Paz, Honduras” (2014-2016), funded by the Andalusian Agency for International Development Cooperation (AACID).
In 2017 they launched a second phase with an intervention on “Value generation and institutional governance in the global coffee chain of the Designation of Origin Café Marcala, Marcala, La Paz, Honduras”, also supported with funds from Andalusian cooperation.
Currently, the two institutions are also co-executing a European project focused on the “Inclusion of the Lenca Indigenous People in processes of advocacy and local economic development in 7 municipalities of the Department of La Paz, with the support of the Designation of Origin Café Marcala and its strategic allies”.