Major players in agricultural innovation in Guatemala, representing value chains of avocado, beans, cocoa and honey, agree that entrepreneurial and marketing skills are a priority when it comes to improving their capacities. At the same time, they want to improve their skills in making their voices heard in decision-making processes related to their area of agriculture. 

In a gathering in Antigua, Guatemala in March 2017, they identified the capacity gaps they face in order to make their value chains more productive and sustainable and assessed their needs for capacity development, as a result of a participatory process started months before. 

Next, they presented their needs to an audience of development organizations, funding agencies, private sector and national service providers at a marketplace meant to match capacity development demand and supply. New partnerships were brokered to bridge the capacity gap and concrete proposals were discussed, such as trainings in business skills. 

The assessment and marketplace in Guatemala are part of the Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems (CDAIS) project, a global initiative in support of TAP. This project is being jointly implemented by FAO and Agrinatura, and coordinated at country level by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of Guatemala (MAGA).