The vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) has its center of origin in Mexico, which was the world’s leading producer until the mid-nineteenth century. However, today vanilla production and wild populations in Mexico are in decline. The Mainstreaming of Biodiversity within Mexican Agriculture  (IKI-IBA) promotes the vanilla value chain in the region Huasteca Hidalguense for sustainable production, with a focus on assessment of ecosystemic services. This will allow actors in the chain to generate agreements to promote sustainable production practices, provide added value to the product, and thereby generate better revenues and product quality throughout the chain.

The project activities began in February 2019 with a workshop based on the ValueLinks methodology, developed by GIZ, with key actors in the value chain, in which the chain was mapped and an action plan and a monitoring committee for the promotion of the chain were generated.

In this context and as part of the monitoring of the activities of the work plan, a workshop was organized in Huejutla, Hidalgo, on November 20 and 21, 2019, where an exchange of experiences of vanilla producers from the Northern Sierra of Puebla and the Huasteca Hidalguense took place.

Producers shared, documented, and validated the biodiversity-friendly productive practices of vanilla producers in the Northern Sierra of Puebla and the Huasteca Hidalguense. The practices were systematized with the help of a graphic facilitator, which will allow the information to be disseminated in a visual and simple way. Based on these best productive practices, and in collaboration with the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), a manual of best practices and training materials for the cultivation of biodiversity-friendly vanilla will be generated.

Likewise, the initiatives implemented around the production of sustainable vanilla in the region were presented. Among them, the participation of the company Mesoamericana Vainilla, which seeks to promote the production of high quality vanilla with sustainable practices, as well as the results of the study carried out by Fundación Bioma A.C. on the value of ecosystemic services for vanilla production, with a focus on pollination, should be highlighted. Finally, the group was trained in organizational strengthening, which provided the actors in the chain with tools and advice to strengthen the organization within their groups. The results of this training include a mapping of actors, resources and productive vocation of each municipality involved in the value chain, as well as exercises to strengthen communication, cooperation, and organization of the groups. On the other hand, the monitoring committee was restructured, and a communication mechanism was established.

For more information, contact Regina Sánchez-Sosa: regina.sanchez[at]giz.de