Annual Report - Year One: Let's Go Bajo Cauca

The alliance aimed to contribute to the inclusive, licit, and sustainable rural economic growth of the Bajo Cauca region in Antioquia, Colombia, through the development of agricultural value chains and the creation and strengthening of non-agricultural productive units. The alliance's general objective was to contribute to the economic development of the territory, with specific objectives including the development of agricultural value chains, especially in the apicultural and piscicultural sectors, and the creation and strengthening of non-agricultural productive units. The alliance also aimed to provide employability services, financial services, and fund mobilization to support the economic improvement of the players in the chain. The alliance's technical sheet outlined the implementing partner, Corporación Interactuar, and the resource partners, including Mineros S.A. Foundation, Mineros S.A, Antioquian Compensation Fund COMFAMA, and Interactuar Corporation. The coverage area of the alliance included the towns of El Bagre, Caceres, Caucasia, Nechi, Taraza, and Zaragoza in Antioquia, Colombia. The alliance's logical framework outlined the objectives, logic of the intervention, expected results, and objectively verifiable indicators. The expected results included the total sales of agricultural and non-agricultural economic units assisted by the alliance, the percentage of effective jobs after training, and the number of people in the agricultural system who have applied administrative practices or improved management technologies. During the first year of implementation, the alliance achieved several results, including technical assistance to apicultural and pisciculture chains, employability services, and financial services. The alliance also implemented the communications plan, monitored and followed up on the working plan, and achieved 100% compliance with the budget. The alliance's budget implementation report showed a total implementation of 1,599 million pesos, which was consistent with the implementation of the actions defined to be executed in the year. The alliance also reported several lessons learned and challenges, including the importance of aligning the expectations of the partners and making visible the commitment to work towards a common goal. The alliance's employability component reported several results, including individual development routes through occupational guidance for 346 candidates, the training of more than 400 people in transversal and specific labor soft skills, and the employment of 188 people in formal companies. The alliance also reported the participation of 266 women and 203 young people in the employability component. The alliance's financial services component reported several results, including the provision of loans for entrepreneurs in the region, with a total of 533 million pesos in loans. The alliance also reported the mobilization of funds, with a total of 1,599 million pesos implemented. Overall, the alliance's first year of implementation focused on structuring the overall implementation strategy, aligning the expectations of the partners, and making visible the commitment to work towards a common goal. The alliance achieved several results, including technical assistance, employability services, and financial services, and reported several lessons learned and challenges.