MIAMI (May 13, 2005)— Once a week in early summer, a truck from Guatemala City pulls into San Jose de Pinula, Guatemala, to pick up a shipment of avocados it will take to the capital’s American-styled supermarkets. The profits are healthy, but the volume that San Jose’s farmers sell just pays for their investment and to cover necessities such as food and clothing. There just aren’t enough avocado buyers in Guatemala.

The obvious solution would be to export. But farmers who have to pool their money to pay the truck that takes their produce to the capital have little resources to explore international markets.

But now they can, thanks to a group of students at Florida International University. This summer, FIU’s Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center (GEC) and the College of Business Administration (CBA) will offer a class that will research whether Guatemalan avocados can find a niche market, or what tariffs and import regulations Salvadoran sweet corn would face at American ports.

“This is one of those instances where academic work can have an impact in the real world,” said Andrew Yap, who will be teaching the course. “At the very least, this could help farmers figure out what they cannot export, saving them a losing bet. In the best case scenario, our students could be making a major contribution to the economic development of a Central American community.”

The course is part of a joint partnership among FIU’s CBA, GEC and Winrock International, which are implementing the U.S. Agency for International Development’s

John Ogonowski Farmer-to-Farmer (FTF) Program in Central America, from 2004 to 2008. The program’s goals are to increase rural prosperity and promote trade-led economic growth in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador by offering volunteer technical assistance.

Winrock International is a nonprofit organization that works with people around the world to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment. Winrock matches innovative approaches in agriculture, natural resources management, clean energy, and leadership development with the unique needs of its partners.

During the six-week course, students will analyze elements such as consumer behavior; competition from similar products; trade regulation; distribution networks; and available trade shows. They will then apply their findings to a list of products submitted by cooperatives in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. By matching market needs with the producers’ capabilities, the students will design a plan that the cooperatives in Central America could implement.

“Many of the farmers in the countries where we work already have the entrepreneurial values. What they might not have is access to market data and the ability to interpret it.” said Carmen Algeciras, the program’s director at FIU. “This gives our students the opportunity to do more than just earn a grade.”

For more information call Carmen Algeciras at 305-348-0399. For media inquiries call Jose D. Parra at 305-348-2716.

–FIU–