The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the TIGO Telephony company in Panama agreed on a joint working alliance to support family farming enterprises in the province of Darién.

The initiative arises from the Technical Assistance project for the strengthening of the capacities of women and indigenous peoples, implemented by FAO and the Indigenous Foundation, with the support of partner bodies such as TIGO Panama.

FAO and TIGO are conducting training to producers, producers, leaders and leaders of communities in Darién: Mortí, Nurra, Wala, Ibedí and Aruza; involved in the production of coffee, bananas, handicrafts and tubers.

The volunteers of this project have assisted in topics such as digital tools for access to local markets, during different training days that have been developed since August 2023 and that will continue in the coming months. Producers have also strengthened in matters of savings, debt management and budgeting, through the Tigo and Microserfin alliance.

Family farming is essential to promote and strengthen the capacities of the populations of rural areas, where most of the agricultural sector is concentrated, which is of great relevance because it contributes 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and generates 14.5% of national employment, with 81% of Panamanian producers being part of the family farming segment.

Faced with this panorama and based on the Family Agriculture Action Plan, approved in 2018, as an instrument of public policy in Panama and in Law 127, which dictates measures for the development of family farming, FAO has promoted high-value partnerships for the benefit of small producers.

In this regard, the FAO Subregional Coordinator for Mesoamerica and FAO Representative in Panama and Costa Rica, Adoniram Sanches Peraci, indicated the importance of promoting and strengthening strategic alliances for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the subregion and in Panama, since joint efforts guide the sustainability, resilience and transformation of the food systems of these territories.

For its part, the initiative of FAO and the Indigenous Foundation is consistent with Tigo Panama’s “Entrepreneurs in Action” program, an initiative that began in 2019, and that has provided digital tools, conferences and talks with the aim of strengthening the skills and knowledge of microentrepreneurs throughout the country, having benefited more than 17,400 Panamanian entrepreneurs to date.

For Marcelo Benítez, General Manager of Tigo Panama, this initiative is a clear reflection of the potential that Panama has to consolidate itself as a hub of innovation and development in the region. Benítez added that, under its mission of building digital highways, the company is committed to continuing to forge alliances that positively impact the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, eliminating barriers and promoting gender equity.