INNOVA-VERDE Contest Will Finance 20 Innovative Ideas To Reduce Carbon Emissions in Costa Rica’s Coffee Sector

• INNOVA-VERDE is an idea contest co-financed by the European Union and the German government.
• The contest is led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), coordinated by GIZ and FUNBAM, and implemented by the national coffee institute ICAFÉ.

Starting this August 17, people who are part of the Costa Rican coffee sector will be able to participate in the INNOVA-VERDE idea contest. Its objective is to finance innovative initiatives that reduce carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases (GHG) in this productive sector.

In this first edition, INNOVA-VERDE will be implemented in the coffee sector and seeks to support at least 20 innovative ideas with non-refundable funds for just over 300,000 euros. The contest is led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), coordinated by the German Development Cooperation GIZ, and the foundation FUNBAM, while the Costa Rican Coffee Institute (ICAFE) will be in charge of its implementation.

This initiative is of utmost relevance to promote and accelerate sustainable solutions in the country's productive sectors, so that -while maintaining their productivity and profitability- they can also reduce their environmental footprint and increase their resilience to climate change.  

The Vice Minister of MAG, Fernando Vargas, stated: "We are committed to promoting environmental sustainability in the Costa Rican coffee sector. This contest is an excellent opportunity to identify and support innovative ideas that have a positive impact on our environment and contribute to the sustainable development of the country".

The INNOVA-VERDE contest will award ideas in two thematic areas:  

• Scalability: Proposals that allow for the scalability of technologies already empirically and scientifically proven so as to significantly increase the number of farms/producers and/or agents in the value chain that adopt these technologies.
• Innovation: Proposals and ideas that focus on the development and piloting of innovations and new technologies are also sought.

The contest is open to all actors participating in the coffee value chain that demonstrate a link with primary production. It should be noted that the goal is to achieve a minimum participation of 25% of women and young people. In addition, when a person requires collaboration, then associations, cooperatives, NGOs or universities may collaborate in support of the beneficiary.

"The European Union is committed to supporting Costa Rica in its transition to low-emission, climate-resilient and sustainable agricultural production systems. In this first idea contest we will be favoring the coffee sector to innovate, be more resilient and scale up solutions, but other contests will come for the musaceae and livestock sectors. This initiative is aligned with the shared climate commitments on mitigation and adaptation, and is part of the external dimension of the European Green Deal," said Katja de Sadeleer, Political Advisor and Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the European Union in Costa Rica.  

For ICAFE's Executive Director, Gustavo Jiménez, "Coffee is an integral part of our culture and economy. We are excited to collaborate in this contest and support ideas that promote the sustainability and resilience of the coffee sector in Costa Rica".