Strengthening socio-biodiversity community businesses by connecting them with players in the innovation ecosystem
Context
What are the paths, solutions and strategies for consolidating community-based businesses in the Amazon? This question guided the Workshop Bringing Community Business and Innovation Ecosystems Closer Together, organised by the Conexus Institute and the Certi Foundation. The meeting sought to discuss ways of strengthening the productive, managerial and commercial activities of associations and cooperatives producing socio-biodiversity products in the Amazon by fostering connections between agents from the innovation ecosystem and the community business ecosystem.
The central objective of the workshop was to think of ways to bring together and connect worlds that often seem far apart: on the one hand, the world of start-ups, accelerators and technology institutes, and on the other, Amazonian associations and co-operatives, with their suppliers/partners and clients. This approach seeks, among other things, to optimise the production time of community businesses in ways that respect their dynamics, increase the added value of products and income generation for communities, reduce logistical challenges and contribute to reaching new public and private markets.
Approach
A group of around 50 people took part in the two-day workshop in Manaus. Among them were leaders of cooperatives and producer associations located in the Amazon territories, representatives of university centres, accelerators and start-ups, as well as government officials and other entities involved in the socio-bioeconomy field.
At first, participants were encouraged to recognise themselves as members of one of the ecosystems - innovation or community business - and to identify common points with the other members. They then discussed the obstacles that make it difficult to bring the two ecosystems closer together and which problems identified by each group could use the support of the other to be solved. The exchanges resulted in ideas and guidelines for more efficient integration between the two. A document mapping the main problems, as well as the indications, criteria and flows of approximation suggested by the groups will be published as a result of this process and should serve as a benchmark for creating and implementing innovative solutions in the field of socio-bioeconomy, systematising lessons learned and sharing successful experiences.
When
June 2024
Gabiru's Team
André Maciel
Bruna Viana
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