The future of Andean Products

The high regions of some Andean countries are facing similar challenges of economic development. Although there is recognized potential for income generation through the development of region-specific products, insight into which products to develop and what technologies to employ, in order to access markets, is lacking. In order to raise production levels, productivity and competitiveness of such products, the related industrial sectors and sub-sectors should be reorganized as productive chains.

For the purpose of capturing this complex reorganization process, future studies and trend analyses are on demand to cover structural and functional change scenarios, as well as technology development. A pan-national Technology Foresight study, as proposed in the present project, could contribute to the raising of awareness and building consensus among the key stakeholders in order to conduct this reorganization in a sustainable manner.

The communities on the Andean High Plateau and Central Valleys of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru are the expected project beneficiaries. The project’s goal is to assist these communities in making decisions regarding the future production of local products that might contribute to increased economic and social wealth in the region. The project’s purpose is to identify strategic technology areas for selected products and industrial sectors, to raise their competitive advantage, as well as to facilitate regional and global market access for national products.

The principal outcome of the project will be a common vision of the possible future development of the region through a higher participation of local products in its economy, as well as a technology road-mapping indicating how to strengthen the related productive chains. The main output of the project will be a foresight study for selected Andean products and the related productive chains.

Three production chains will be the subject of a specific project: Medicinal plants, textiles, and food products.