New alliances… new proposals: challenges, achievements, and opportunities
In 2020, CATIE, its member countries, and the rest of humanity faced health and climatic emergencies that have affected the achievement of some of the proposed goals, as the countries have been forced to modify – at least in the short and medium-term – the priorities and ways of working of institutions, producers, rural families, and even consumers. The crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic began to manifest itself, in the region, in March 2020, and in the following months, the problem escalated, until it seriously compromised the economy of families and countries.
In the case of the Central American countries, the problem was exacerbated at the end of the year with the appearance of hurricanes Eta and Iota, with strong consequences of destruction in the productive and communication infrastructure. Coordinated action between the National Offices, the Directorate for External Projection, and Global Alliances were essential to monitor the impacts of these emergencies on CATIE’s actions in the countries. Also, to seek mechanisms to continue operating and, thus, to respond to existing commitments with countries and donors. In addition, these challenges made it possible to analyze how to generate new opportunities for post-pandemic recovery and increase resilience capacity in the face of future events.
In the early stages of the pandemic, the efforts of governments and donors were focused on the development of mechanisms and options to control the spread of the virus and the treatment of patients, which affected in many cases the production and natural resource management processes. These are CATIE’s thematic areas of strength. This led to the postponement and even cancellation of contests for proposals where CATIE was participating or was going to partake. Likewise, the possibility of face-to-face interaction with national partners affected, in the first stage, our actions in the countries. However, after adjusting to the new reality, it has been possible to exceed the goals proposed for the number of projects and strategic alliances that CATIE had proposed.
Despite the crisis caused by the pandemic, fundraising goals were exceeded, reaching a total of USD 15.7 million in approved proposals. This was achieved thanks to good coordination and permanent communication with CATIE’s technical units and National Offices in the member countries, who played a key role in the success of these initiatives.
Moreover, the Office of Global Alliances contributed to reposition and strengthen CATIE’s presence in South America. In 2020, five successful proposals for an amount of USD 3 million were managed in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Furthermore, alliances were consolidated with some strategic partners such as UNDP in the Amazon (Ecuador and Peru), Guatemala, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Panama.
CATIE’s actions in the countries did not stop as a consequence of the pandemic, instead they were adjusted to the new reality. Perhaps the most important change was the greater use of digital media and a detailed review of CATIE’s actions in each of the countries, through a series of virtual seminars that allowed to learn about the successful experiences and the limitations that the countries faced.
The National Offices provided administrative and technical support to regional or binational projects and facilitated their operation. This action was necessary due to the impossibility of the headquarters technicians to visit the countries, given the international travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, they facilitated and participated in the development of new project proposals to be developed in the countries. An example of the latter is the case of the PROAMAZONIA projects in Ecuador, and Sustainable Amazon Landscapes in Peru, both with UNDP. These are now part of the agenda of the Livestock and Environmental Management Group (GAMMA, by its acronym in Spanish). Nevertheless, the Representatives of CATIE, in Ecuador and Peru, collaborated in the design of these projects and participated actively in facilitating contacts with the UNDP officials responsible for the project, as well as in identifying and contacting the national partner institutions in those projects. Both cases illustrate the catalytic role of the National Offices in the identification of partners and new opportunities for CATIE action in the countries, but also contribute to the analysis of the institutional context in which the projects will operate.
Additionally, the National Offices successfully conducted national projects such as the National Information Platform on Nutrition (PiNN, by its acronym in Spanish) in Guatemala, the Adaptation of Agriculture to Climate Change through Water Harvesting in Nicaragua, the Climate Vulnerability Diagnosis and Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Santa María River Basin in Panama, the Sustainable Management of Forests in the Andean Region in Colombia, the Development of an Integrated and Comprehensive Agroforestry Policy Framework in Belize, the Technological-Financial Alternatives for the Renovation, Rehabilitation, and Promotion of Coffee Plantations in the Dominican Republic, among many others. The National Offices were also key actors in obtaining scholarships for postgraduate studies at CATIE, provided by the governments in the case of Colombia, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. The most relevant actions in each country are detailed below.
CATIE, in this member country, developed several projects during 2020. Among them, we can mention the Development of an Integrated and Comprehensive Agroforestry Policy Framework for Belize, executed in conjunction with the Office of Climate Change of the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management of Belize, along with funds from the Office of Climate Change and the Center for Climate Technology (CTCN, by its acronym in Spanish). This project seeks to promote agroforestry, silvopastoral, and agrosilvopastoral systems, which should contribute to increasing the well-being and income of the rural Belizean population. In this context, the policy seeks not only to contribute to achieving food security but also to meeting national and international goals for the conservation of natural resources. It was formulated and validated through a broad participatory and inclusive process, which took about a year and a half, with consultation workshops with the different actors, both from public institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia, and producers. An important aspect of this effort was to incorporate the perspective of the stakeholders involved to ensure the effective participation of rural women in agroforestry policy, which constitutes a milestone for Belize and the Central American region in general. 
While the process to formalize CATIE’s National Office in Bolivia is being reactivated, in 2020, the project “Evaluation of the interaction of varieties due to pruning in coffee cultivation” was continued. It is developed by the Unit for Genetic and Agroforestry Improvement of Coffee and Cacao of CATIE, in collaboration with the National Institute for Agricultural and Forestry Research (INAF, by its acronym in Spanish). This is part of a study conducted in eight countries with funding from KOLFACI, which seeks to develop innovative technologies that combine promising and traditional coffee varieties subjected to different types of pruning, and to determine the most appropriate fertilization doses for each combination, based on a projection of the balance of nutrients, costs, and income. In addition, this project is the basis for actions to strengthen the capacities of researchers and students in the participating countries. 
CATIE’s Office in Colombia actively participated in the preparation of various proposals with local and international partners. These include: Promoting sustainable livestock production with a comprehensive territorial management approach for the protection of Amazon and its populations, submitted for funding from the Norway International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI); USAID’s appeal titled Amazon Forest and Biodiversity Activity; the “Support Program for the implementation of the National Climate Change Strategy (NDC) in agricultural value chains in Colombia” and the “Support Program for Colombia in the implementation of its NDCs – Strengthening MRV and M&E systems”, both with financing from GIZ; the project “Formulation and implementation of a strategy to support the sustainable transformation of low-carbon livestock agroecosystems in prioritized landscapes of the Orinoquia” with funds from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; and the proposal “Design of a Roadmap for the Development of a Green Growth Plan for the Department of Huila”, submitted to the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH, by its acronym in Spanish). 
The CATIE Office in Ecuador made efforts to consolidate agreements with government institutions, such as the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock and the Ministry of Environment and Water; the IKIAM Amazon Regional University and the Secretary of the Environment of the Metropolitan District of Quito. The latter is interested in learning about CATIE’s experience in the payment system for environmental services and its potential application in livestock systems. Also, it requested CATIE, in coordination with the Embassy of Costa Rica in Ecuador, to facilitate meetings with the government to analyze the country’s Decarbonization Plan. Subsequently, the municipal authorities will share their experiences with the establishment of the urban trains (subway) that are of interest to Costa Rica. 
CATIE’s Office in Guatemala conducts three projects at a national level. a. “National Information Platform on Nutrition (PiNN, by its acronym in Spanish)”, which operates in the municipality of Momostenango as a pilot site. It works in coordination with SESAN and with financial support from the European Union, whose purpose is to develop management processes of information and multisectoral knowledge for the prevention of malnutrition, and improving food and nutrition security, serving as a model for actions at a national level. b. “Territorial Co-management for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of the Volcanic Complex Acatenango-Fuego, Cerro Sanay, and Montaña El Socó”, in collaboration with the Fund for the Conservation of Tropical Forests (FCA, by its acronym in Spanish) and the participation of various government institutions (CONAP, INAB, INGUAT, and the Municipalities of Acatenango and San Andrés Itzapa). This project strengthens and promotes local and municipal alliances for the conservation and sustainable management of forests, soils, and water in the forest landscape, as well as the development of community and nature tourism in the territory. And, c. “Sustainable Economic Development and Territorial Governance Project in the Sarstun River Adjacency Zone”, with the Foundation for Ecodevelopment and Conservation (FUNDAECO, by its acronym in Spanish), which aims to strengthen the capacities of partner institutions to implement rural extension processes in agroforestry systems with cacao, cardamom, pepper, and other crops, as well as silvopastoral systems. These systems contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources, the generation of economic benefits for communities, and the construction of processes for social participation, to reduce conflicts in the Sarstun River Adjacency Zone, located between Guatemala and Belize. 
The Republic of Haiti has gone through a period of strong political instability in 2020, which did not allow the development of fieldwork with the required intensity. However, there was a strong interaction with the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment for the elaboration of proposals on the topics of interest of each ministry. Also, work was carried out on the development of the Kafe Makaya project, under the leadership of OXFAM/Quebec, and in collaboration with the Fondation Nouvelle Grand´Anse. This project aims to strengthen the coffee sector and improve the income of 2600 producer families in southern Haiti, through the application of agroecological and organic production approaches using agroforestry systems.
In 2020, CATIE, in Nicaragua, was part of several regional projects operating in the country, such as the Central American Program for the Comprehensive Management of Coffee Rust (PROCAGICA, by its acronym in Spanish), the project Agroforestry Systems adapted for the Central American Dry Corridor (AGROINNOVA, by its acronym in Spanish), both in collaboration with IICA; the CGIAR Program on Forests, Trees, and Agroforestry (FTA, by its acronym in Spanish), and the initiative Development of Sustainable Forestry Models for Secondary Forests in Central America, with links to private financing with IKI funds.
In 2020, the following projects were executed at a national level with the financial support of the Adaptation Fund, and administered by the World Bank: Detailed Diagnosis of Climate Vulnerability and Proposal of an Adaptation Plan to Climate Change for the Santa María River Watershed, and Establishment of Riverside Reforestation and Agroforestry Projects with Coffee Systems and Soil Conservation in the Caisán River Sub-Watershed (Renacimiento, Chiriquí province). Likewise, through the PROCUENCAS initiative, the technical capacities of professionals and strategic partners of the Ministry of the Environment were strengthened with financial support from CAF. 
CATIE’s Office in Peru concentrated its efforts on two projects of importance to the country, which were assigned to CATIE. One was to support the CARAL 2020 contest, aimed at the selection and promotion of impact innovations for the improvement of family agriculture, which was organized by the National Program for Agrarian Innovation (PNIA, by its acronym in Spanish) of Peru. In this contest, three CATIE officials participated, one in the organization and coordination of the entire process, and two as members of the evaluation committee. The contest was designed to promote agricultural innovation by documenting, disseminating, and awarding successful cases of technological, institutional, and organizational innovations, to make visible and recognize the agricultural research and innovation efforts developed in the country by different actors, such as academia, NGOs, private companies, and organized groups of producers. It also sought to facilitate the application of the results achieved through partnerships, knowledge management, and training. A total of 169 cases were received, and 20 of them were awarded in topics such as agrobiodiversity, resilience to climate change, food and nutrition security, and the valuation of local genetic resources for the agricultural sector. The winning cases directly impacted 50 650 families, and indirectly, another 200 778. The contest made it possible to demonstrate that investment in research for development is profitable, but requires a period of growth; also, associativity, strategic alliances, and the value chain approach are essential for success. 
CATIE, in the Dominican Republic, worked actively in the search for new projects to position CATIE in the country, emphasizing actions related to capacity building through short-term and postgraduate events. Under the coordination of the Higher Institute of Agriculture (ISA, by its acronym in Spanish) and the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, 60 professionals were trained in integrated pest management and on competitive sustainable livestock with low carbon emissions. These were coordinated with the Directorate of Change Climate of the Ministry of the Environment and CEDAF, and more than 50 professionals from different Dominican institutions were trained.