Ecuador supports innovation with the first Amazonian Bioentrepreneurship contest

On August 12, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE) launched the Challenge “Amazonía Innova: Sustainable Bioentrepreneurship in the Ecuadorian Amazon,” as part of the implementation of PROAmazonía, a program of the National Government with the support of UNDP and the Quito Chamber of Commerce (CCQ). This contest aims to identify bioentrepreneurships that are developed with products from the Ecuadorian Amazon, and that creatively promote the sustainable use of biodiversity.

This activity will last for five months and seeks to raise awareness of bioentrepreneurships that incorporate native products from the Amazon region as an alternative to generate income. The call for participation will be open on PROAmazonía’s website https://www.proamazonia.org/ from 12 until September 12, and is aimed at all actors of Civil Society: academia, indigenous peoples and nationalities, private companies, productive associations and NGOs of the Amazonian provinces, which have bioentrepreneurships in place and have innovation proposals for their products.

During the launching event, the importance of innovation in bioentrepreneurships to awaken the interest of new markets was highlighted. In this sense, the CCQ will play an important role given its experience in business development in the country and its expertise in training. The objective of this process is to strengthen the capacities of entrepreneurs and promote innovative products that have an added value by having a sustainable origin.

The event was attended by the Minister of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition, the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, the UNDP Resident Representative in Ecuador, the President of the Quito Chamber of Commerce and the Manager in charge of PROAmazonía. Also, representatives of indigenous peoples and nationalities; organizations, companies and productive associations of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

PROAmazonía, a program led by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) with support from UNDP, supports the generation of bioentrepreneurships with the objective of strengthening productive capacities and the generation of livelihoods related to the sustainable management of forest products, known as Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP), in compliance with Social and Environmental Safeguards, in favor of the protection of forests and nature. To date, PROAmazonía has contributed to the development of 30 enterprises in the Ecuadorian Amazon.