Hello, who are you?

I’m Percy Ac. I am the National Innovation Facilitator of the cacao niche in Guatemala, from a family of cacao producers in the Laguna Lachuá region, in Alta Verapaz. Professionally, I am an agronomist and a business administrator, and I have worked in NGOs projects such as FUNDALACHUA, which works with associations of small cacao producers in microcredit issues, technical assistance in the field and primary processing, as well as commercialization.

What are your roles and responsibilities as National Innovation Facilitator?

I currently work at the niche level, as well as at the platform level in the 2018 Annual Operational Plan with the team of representatives of the Institutional Technical Team ETI (Institutions supporting the cacao agro-chain ) and the National Agro-Chain Commission of the Ministry of Agriculture (MAGA-CONADEA), following the guidelines set out in the National Cacao Strategy. The experiences acquired in different areas, both in the field and at the organizational and inter-institutional levels, have allowed me to acquire a broader vision of the entire cacao agro-chain in Guatemala.

What has CDAIS changed for you?

CDAIS has made me think that projects end, while actors of agro-chains remain, and are responsible for achieving their vision. This reflection has definitely changed the way in which, as a facilitator, I must convey this message to all actors, and be the catalyst that promotes the development of capacities at all levels. CDAIS has changed the way I view institutional support projects. It has made me realize that it is also important to strengthen functional capacities in order to be able to handle all the activities that we want to develop. I realize that by strengthening functional capacities, any cooperation project can come,  and having developed certain capacities, the actors manage to take better advantage of the opportunities, and eventually achieve the long-term objectives that have been proposed at the niche level.