ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATE (OAS)

Expected Benefits of the Project:
The project sought to facilitate owners and managers of food processing enterprises in rural areas, in examining their operations and developing their skills in the areas of business, quality and environmental management. It assisted these food processors in:

• Improving the management of their businesses.
• Improving the quality and competitiveness of their products in the Global Market Place.
• Operating environmentally friendly businesses.

Background to the Project:
The Project was initiated by the National Centre for Food Science and Technology (CITA) of Costa Rica. It aimed at fostering self-improvement in food processing enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean. The target group included micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises in the rural areas.

The Project emphasized the application of good manufacturing practices and quality systems to ensure the production of safe food products. It encouraged the application of environmental management systems to minimize waste and improve efficiency.

A Technical Cooperation Network was developed between the participating countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Funding, though limited, was provided by the OAS and the Project was coordinated by CITA regionally.

The Countries Involved Were:

COSTA RICA

EL SALVADOR

HONDURAS

JAMAICA

NICARAGUA

PANAMA

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

URAGUAY

The Project was coordinated in each country by a local institution. In Jamaica, it was the Scientific Research Council. The local Coordinating Team comprised representatives from:

Scientific Research Council – SRC

Rural Agricultural Development Authority – RADA

Jamaica Business Development Centre - JBDC

Project Implementation:
The Project offered training in the following subject areas:

1. Business Management
2. Environmental Management
3. Quality Management

The Project operated on the train-the-trainer principle, using training manuals developed by the Project to suit the target group.

The Steps followed were:

1. Training of representatives of the National Coordinating Team in Costa Rica by experts in the three subject areas;
2. Training of the other members of the National Coordinating Team and at least 5 Rural Leaders by those trained in (a) and development of work programmes for each enterprise;
3. Training of two representatives from each of 25 rural micro-, small- and/or medium-sized food processing enterprises by those trained in (a) and (b);
4. Training of the rest of the staff of each enterprise by their trained representatives.