May 31, 2023: Partners of the Americas and the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State announce nine new grant-winning teams between higher education institutions in the United States and Colombia. This latest 100K Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund competition is generously supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, in partnership with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
These new 100K Strong Cacao for Peace teams will support partnerships between a diversity of higher education institutions to design and implement scientific training programs between researchers (students and faculty) to expand cacao research collaboration and create access to inclusive exchanges of scientific and technical personnel in both countries, thus strengthening the cacao Industry. The 100K Strong grant-winning teams will engage 8 regional higher education institutions in Colombia in partnership with a diversity of 9 U.S. colleges and universities in 8 states to implement new exchange and training programs for upwards of 70 students and faculty during 2024.
Otto Gonzalez, Senior Director for Agricultural Economic Development Division of the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, stated during his remarks that “Students and faculty from the winning higher education institutions have a unique opportunity to learn from one another as they advance critical cacao research in areas like sustainable productivity, climate resilience, and food safety. The outcomes from these projects will positively impact cacao farmers and actors along the entire value chain in Colombia and will support the U.S. chocolate industry ensure a supply of safe, high-quality cacao.”
John McPhail, President and CEO of Partners of the Americas, also affirmed that “The Cacao for Peace program supported by USAID and the USDA is making a critical difference in the development of the cacao sector in Colombia and we are very proud to contribute to that through this collaborative 100K Strong initiative. The 100K grants awarded today will support nine innovative and inclusive research exchange programs between the U.S. and Colombia, enabling student and faculty researchers to work together to strengthen cacao-related research in Colombia.”
As a result of this recent 100K Strong Innovation Fund competition, Colombia is now the leading country in this signature hemispheric-wide initiative to form partnerships with U.S. higher education institutions and implement new models of inclusive exchange and training programs in numerous thematic areas. To date, the 100K Strong Innovation Fund has awarded 88 grants to U.S.-Colombia teams, involving 140 higher education institutions in 33 U.S states and 20 Colombian departments – a testimony to the robust bilateral education cooperation between the two countries.
The 100K Strong Innovation Fund is the public-private sector collaboration between the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassies, and Partners of the Americas, working with regional private, public, and academic sectors to harness the power of education to expand inclusive exchange programs between the U.S. and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Profiles of new 100K Strong Innovation Fund projects between the United States and Colombia:
Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios, Bogotá, Colombia
University of Arizona, Arizona, U.S.
Transferring Knowledge and Skills to Students and Teachers for the Implementation of R&D&I Processes in the Cacao Production Chain in Colombia and the US
Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios and University of Arizona, will seek to develop an exchange program with a focus on high-level interdisciplinary support for students in identifying challenges prevalent in the cocoa value chain in farmer associations, solving one of these challenges, and creating a study abroad module.
Institución Universitaria Antonio Jose Camacho, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Wellesley College, Massachusetts, United States
From the university to the field: North and South collaboration with practical pedagogy for production, commercialization, and transformation of cocoa (DEUCAM)
This project, led by the Antonio José Camacho University Institution and Wellesley College, seeks to increase the number of students and professors who carry out research applied to the cocoa value chain in the production, commercialization, and transformation stages. DEUCAM will stimulate the development of technical, linguistic, and intercultural skills through training and investigative processes in virtual, face-to-face, and hybrid modalities.
San Diego State University, California, United States
Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Colombia
Universidad de la Sabana, Cundinamarca, Colombia
Collaborative Online Learning for the improvement of the Cacao Value Chain in Colombia (CATCHI)
This project, created by San Diego State University, Universidad de La Sabana, and Universidad de Córdoba aims to develop an exchange and training program focused on the co-development and transfer of a core set of skills essential to addressing the current and expected challenges of agricultural research for the cacao value chain, regarding the post-harvest production and distribution chain.
Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) Regional Arauca, Arauca, Colombia
Auburn University, Alabama, United States
Evaluation of technological application in the drying of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) in cocoa plantations of the Department of Arauca.
This project, led by Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) Regional Arauca and Auburn University, is designed to study the physiology of fruit crops to understand the impact of agroclimatic factors through their interactions with the plant and its soil. Students will enroll in a Management and Post-Harvest of Cocoa Cultivation course, where they will collect and analyze data on total polyphenols and cocoa anthocyanins.
Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) Quindío Centro Agroindustrial, Quindío, Colombia
Tennessee State University, Tennessee, United States
Physical and Sensorial Characterization of Cocoa and its Relation to the Origin in Quindío. Quality Cocoa for Peace (National School of Cocoa Quality)
The partnership between Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) Regional Arauca and Tennessee State University will provide students and faculty at both institutions with the opportunity to gain practical knowledge in the processing, marketing, and exportation of cocoa through applied research.
Universidad de La Salle, Bogotá, Colombia
University of California, Davis, California, United States
Cacao Innovation Rural Youth Lab: Instilling global values through shared agricultural activities
This project between Universidad de La Salle and University of California, Davis will engage faculty and students at both institutions in learning about the cacao value chain while sharpening their interdisciplinary and intercultural skills. Participants will learn about the cacao value chain from planting to processing, gain research experience, and build multidisciplinary skills to work across countries to solve contemporary problems.
Universidad de La Salle, Bogotá, Colombia
Manhattan College, New York, United States
Circular Agriculture in Cocoa Production: A Sustainable Strategy to Promote a Healthy Environment, Food and Life
Universidad de La Salle and Manhattan College will collaborate on this project to share their expertise and knowledge through an international engineering research team to generate an integral, sustainable strategy for cocoa production. The project aims to use circular agriculture in cocoa processing to improve the quality and health-factors of cocoa while addressing climate change and soil degradation issues in Yopal, Colombia.
Universidad de La Salle, Bogotá, Colombia
New Mexico State University, New Mexico, United States
Utopia: Leveraging the Advancement of Rural Irrigation Systems in Cocoa Plantations Through International Collaborations
New Mexico State University and Universidad de La Salle-Colombia will collaborate on this project, in which students/faculty from both institutions will participate in courses on Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability to be able to design innovative ways to provide precision irrigation methods that support cacao production in Colombian regions affected by drought.
Universidad Simón Bolívar, Atlántico, Colombia
Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, United States
Cacao for Wellness
This project between Universidad Simón Bolívar and Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez, will allow students to take part in an elective course that will deal with the agronomic, ecological, microbiological, and physicochemical aspects of cocoa agroforestry production systems, where they will collect and analyze soil samples to create training protocols for good agricultural practices.
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100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund (100K Strong) is the decade-long collaboration between the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Embassies, and Partners of the Americas, working with the private sector, governments, foundations, and higher education institutions to create innovative partnerships and inclusive training and exchange programs. The 100K Strong Innovation Fund creates inter-regional networks between governments, business, and academia to support this signature hemispheric-wide education initiative to build partnerships, strengthen institutional capacity, and increase access to innovative, inclusive exchange programs for students and faculty of the Americas.
As of May 2023, after 34 competitions, the 100K Strong Innovation Fund has awarded 315 grants ($25,000-$45,000 each) to 578 higher education institutions working in teams in 25 countries and 49 U.S. States that have engaged upwards of 9,800 students and faculty. Currently, over 4,000 members have joined the 100K Network – including faculty and administrators from over 2,300 universities and colleges in the United States.
JOIN the 100K Network and Learn more: www.100kstrongamericas.org
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The mission of Partners of the Americas is to connect people and organizations across and within borders to serve and change lives through lasting partnerships. These partnerships create opportunity, foster understanding, and solve real-life problems. Inspired by President Kennedy and founded in 1964, under the Alliance for Progress, Partners is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with international offices in Washington, D.C. Learn more at www.partners.net or via Twitter @partnersamerica.
In 2021 the U.S. government began the implementation of the second phase of the “Cacao for Peace (CfP)” program. The second phase of the program seeks to provide scientific support to foster the development of a self-reliant and thriving Colombian cacao industry. Due to greater interest in healthy lifestyles, the demand for premium chocolate that is dark, sugar-free, and organic is expected to sharply increase. As the demand for premium chocolate grows, so will the demand for fine flavor cocoa beans used to produce premium chocolate. Fine flavor cocoa beans are not produced in the U.S., being principally sourced from Latin American countries such as Colombia.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID’s work advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity, demonstrates American generosity, and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience. To learn more, visit https://www.usaid.gov/.
Press Contact: Rachel Falek