News & Events
Co-Designing Sustainable Solutions for the Cocoa Value Chain in Ucayali
On 29 May 2025, Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), partners of the BIOTRAILS project, hosted a participatory workshop in Ucayali, Peru, bringing together key stakeholders in the cocoa value chain. This event marked a significant step in the co-design of policy interventions that promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable practices in one of the region’s most strategic agri-food sectors.
The workshop built on the results of a previous session held in October 2024 in Pucallpa, aiming to validate and enrich existing proposals through active engagement with stakeholders. Participants represented public and private institutions, local civil society, and cocoa sector organisations, fostering a rich, inclusive dialogue on the path forward.
Among the workshop’s key supporters was Mr. Rubén Cerna Leveau, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Ucayali, who stressed the importance of promoting sustainability as a competitive advantage:
“By generating synergies and supporting companies committed to sustainable practices, we can better position Ucayali’s cocoa sector in an increasingly environmentally conscious global market.”
The event also featured virtual contributions from BIOTRAILS consortium partners in Europe:
- Raffaele Giordano (CNR-IRSA) presented the project’s systems approach to understanding the interactions between biodiversity, climate, and society.
- Johannes Stahl (ADEL) discussed how to identify and analyse leverage points in regional policies.
- Vasileia Pentsiou (DRAXIS) shared climate risk projections for the Ucayali region.
Led by Yovita Ivanova (Senior Manager at Biodiversity International & CIAT), the workshop included two key participatory sessions:
- Validation of the Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) and refinement of regional leverage points.
- Co-design of intervention strategies, focusing on alignment with existing public policies and how to enhance their implementation and impact.
The workshop highlighted the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration in designing effective and locally grounded strategies for biodiversity conservation.