Formulación de una estrategia que impulse la asociatividad y cooperativismo en el sector agropecuario, como parte de la Política Comercial de Costa Rica (2019-2024), basada en la experiencia de la región SICA, desde la Secretaría Ejecutiva del Consejo Agropecuario Centroamericano (SECAC).

Abstract

En el presente trabajo se desarrollará el tema “Formulación de una estrategia que impulse la asociatividad y cooperativismo en el sector agropecuario, como parte de la Política Comercial de Costa Rica (2019-2024), basada en la experiencia de los países de la región del Sistema de Integración Centroamericana (SICA) desde la Secretaría Ejecutiva del Consejo Agropecuario Centroamericano (SECAC)”, mediante la modalidad de práctica dirigida. El objetivo general “Formular una estrategia que impulse la asociatividad y cooperativismo en el sector agropecuario, como parte de la Política Comercial de Costa Rica (2019-2024), basada en la experiencia de la región SICA, desde la Secretaría Ejecutiva del Consejo Agropecuario Centroamericano (SECAC)”; se desarrolló a partir del cumplimiento de los tres objetivos específicos, los cuales son: • Efectuar un mapeo de las políticas e instrumentos elaborados y relacionados con asociatividad y cooperativismo en la región SICA con el fin de identificar las acciones ejecutadas y que beneficie al diseño de una nueva estrategia. • Estructurar la estrategia para que impulse la asociatividad y cooperativismo en el sector agropecuario, como Política Comercial de Costa Rica, con base en la experiencia de los países de la región SICA, desde la Secretaría Ejecutiva del Consejo Agropecuario Centroamericana (SECAC). • Colaborar, como plan piloto y operativo de la estrategia, en la construcción de la Cadena Regional de Valor del cacao en la región SICA, que impulse la asociatividad y cooperativismo en el sector agropecuario, ambas como parte de la Política Comercial en Costa Rica, desde la Secretaría Ejecutiva del Consejo Agropecuario Centroamericano (SECAC). Por lo tanto, se utilizó una metodología que utiliza la investigación exhaustiva, por medio de la revisión de políticas e instrumentos nacionales y regionales, aplicadas para fomentar la asociatividad y cooperativismo agropecuario en los ocho países de la región SICA1 . Al 1 Belice, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá, República Dominicana.The following work will develop the topic “Formulation of a strategy that promotes associativity and cooperativism in the agricultural sector, as part of the Commercial Policy of Costa Rica (2019-2024), based on the experience of the SICA region, from the Secretariat Executive of the Central American Agricultural Council (SECAC), through the modality of directed practice. The General Objective “To formulate a strategy that promotes associativity and cooperativism in the agricultural sector, as part of the Commercial Policy of Costa Rica (2019-2024), based on the experience of the SICA region, from the Executive Secretariat of the Central American Agricultural Council (SECA); It will be carried out through the fulfillment of the three specific objectives, which are: • Carry out a mapping of the policies and instruments carried out and related to associativity and cooperativism in the SICA region in order to identify the actions carried out and that will benefit the design of a new strategy. • Structuring the strategy to promote associativity and cooperativism in the agricultural sector, as Costa Rica's Trade Policy, based on the experience of the countries of the SICA region, from the Executive Secretariat of the Central American Agricultural Council (SECAC). • Collaborate, as a pilot and operational plan of the strategy, in the construction of the Regional Cocoa Value Chain in the SICA region, which promotes associativity and cooperativism in the agricultural sector, both as part of the Commercial Policy in Costa Rica, from the Executive Secretariat of the Central American Agricultural Council (SECAC). Therefore, a methodology that uses exhaustive research was used, through the review of national and regional policies and instruments, applied to promote agricultural associativity and cooperativism in the eight countries of the SICA region. At the same time, field work was carried out in each country, by conducting both face-to-face and virtual interviews, with different agricultural associations and cooperatives, such as rural business organizations emphasized in this work, to investigate the experiences in their operation, and 8 what kind of support have they obtained from the Ministries of Agriculture and Cooperative Development Institutes in the countries. Therefore, to obtain these positions, officials of said institutions were interviewed, whose constitutional duty is to promote associations and agricultural cooperatives, entities that will be detailed later; to obtain first-source information on the results of said support and the limitations they have institutionally in strengthening and supplying the necessary resources to associations and cooperatives to improve their productivity, promoting agricultural associativity and cooperativism in the countries of the SICA region, focused on Costa Rica. As a result of this research, the need to promote associativity and cooperativism in Costa Rica was determined, based on the experiences of the countries of the SICA region, whose weaknesses and strengths are, for the most part, shared among the countries that comprise it, and That, therefore, also falls on Costa Rica, with a series of factors persisting for the most part, which affect the functioning of said mechanisms both at the regional level and in the Costa Rican sector. Therefore, with the formulation of the Strategy to Promote Agricultural Associativity and Cooperativism in Costa Rica 2019-2024 (EPIACACR), the objective is to promote associativity and cooperativism, as part of the country's Commercial Policy, through the realization of three components: Institutionality for Agricultural Technological Transformation, Agricultural Economic Participation and Fabric of Cooperation and Competitiveness Networks; and the development of three strategic axes: Participatory Inclusion in Agricultural Associativity and Cooperativism, Education and Capacity Building and Articulation to Productive Chains, promoting the linking of Costa Rican associations and cooperatives in Value Chains, for this purpose.