Project “Aliance to Create Opportunities for Rural Development through Agro-enterprise Relationships” ACORDAR
Beans
iPrepared by the Beans Technical Committee:
Félix Miranda Salgado, Northern Multi-Service Export and Import Cooperative Organization (CECOOPSEMEIN) 
Nilo Cajina, CECOOPSEMEIN 
Antonio Rueda Pereira, Association for Community Agricultural Diversification and Development (ADDAC) 
Scarleth Rodríguez Alfaro, Nicaraguan Association for Social Development (ASDENIC) 
Alexis Herrera, Cáritas Estelí
Estelí, Nicaragua, July 2012.
This publication is the product of a participatory systematization 
process facilitated by the International Center for Tropical 
Agriculture (CIAT) for the project “Alliance to Create 
Opportunities for Rural Development through 
Agro-enterprise Relationships” (ACORDAR)
Julio César Martínez, CIAT
Natalia Gutiérrez Martínez, CIAT
Érika Eliana Mosquera, CIAT
Daniel Prieto Muriel, Cintadhesiva
Jhon Jairo Hurtado Bermúdez, CIAT
Diana Marcela Mosquera Echeverry, CIAT
Érika Eliana Mosquera Echeverry, CIAT
Design and layout
Facilitators and editors:
ACORDAR Project: Front cover, 1-3, 5, 7-11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23
Neil Palmer (CIAT): 4, 18
Erika Mosquera (CIAT): 6, 12, 15, 21
Photo credits:
Lynn Menédez
Translation:
1About this document
Producer Organizations Promoting 
Integrated Development with a 
Value Chain Approach 
The project “Alliance to Create Opportunities for Rural Development through 
Agro-enterprise Relationships” (ACORDAR) aimed to help increase the income, 
ensure permanent employment and strengthen the business capacities of   
7000 poor rural households in 50 municipalities of Nicaragua, in alliance with 
municipal governments and the private sector. 
ACORDAR was financed by the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID) and implemented by an important consortium headed 
by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), together with other partners such as Lutheran 
World Relief (LWR), TechnoServe (TNS), Global Village (GV), Latin American 
Financial Services (LAFISE), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) 
and other local partners in the area of influence of the project. 
2This project was initially established in 
2007 for a 3-year period; however, given 
its significant impact, it was extended for 
another 2 years until the end of 2012              
to further disseminate its results and 
empower more farmer families and 
producer organizations. 
The present document systematizes the 
experience of building a value chain for 
beans that benefits 4,898 bean 
producers in Nicaragua, and compiles 
the lessons learned by the Beans 
Technical Committee, formed by 
representatives of the Northern Multi-
Service Export and Import 
Cooperative Organization 
(CECOOPSEMEIN), Caritas–Estelí, 
the Nicaraguan Association for Social 
Development (ASDENIC) and the 
Association for Community Agricultural 
Diversification and Development 
(ADDAC), located in northern 
Nicaragua, specifically in the 
departments of Matagalpa, Estelí, 
Nueva Segovia, Jinotega and Madriz 
that have high bean production 
potential. 
The report addresses the building and 
strengthening of the beans value 
chain in northern Nicaragua using 
innovative strategies and aims to 
disseminate and share study results. 
Feedback will facilitate the application 
of this approach in other regions, 
strengthen the existing knowledge base 
and influence policy makers at both 
local and national levels.
3Where it all began
Many actors did not know the other actors involved in 
the chain, which reduced the possibility of feedback. 
Furthermore, production costs were high, yields and 
sale prices were low, the quality of raw materials used 
was poor, there was a lack of added value, little 
information was available and the access to alternative 
markets was limited. 
Although the actors of the different links 
of the bean production cycle acted 
autonomously, they had inadvertently 
created a production chain; however, 
only a few knew what happened to the 
products before or after they left their 
hands, and many actors did not know 
the other actors involved in the chain, 
which reduced the possibility of 
feedback. Furthermore, production costs 
were high, yields and sale prices were 
low, the quality of raw materials used was 
poor, there was a lack of added value, 
little information was available and the 
access to alternative markets was limited. 
Existing organizations had a weak 
organizational structure, with limited 
entrepreneurial skills, and were primarily 
dedicated to production. Resource 
mobilization was lacking, which in turn 
limited access to technical assistance, 
technological innovation, 
diversification of services, promotion 
of agribusinesses, and identification of 
new, profitable and risk-free markets 
with added value.
4The lack of economic resources also 
translated into poor collection facilities, 
which reduced the volume of product on 
offer and limited the capacity to negotiate 
with different bean clients. Roads in rural 
areas were in poor conditions, affecting 
the transportation of produce to collection 
hubs, which lowered sale prices and 
caused loss of produce. 
The lack of environmental awareness was 
also a critical factor. Contamination had 
been maximized by the misuse of 
pesticides, inadequate soil use, the 
advance of the agricultural frontier, and 
the misuse of water resources—all factors 
that had a direct negative impact on value 
chain development. 
The lack of familiarity with the value chain 
approach affected the launching of 
initiatives that could have taken advantage 
of the support offered by local 
governments and promoted the 
participation of bean producers in 
consultation and participatory planning 
processes in their respective 
municipalities. Nor did these organizations 
have gender-sensitive policies in place. 
As a result, given their limited participation 
in production, entrepreneurial and 
decision-making processes, women did 
not have access to benefits such as credit. 
5Getting started
The building and strengthening of the 
beans value chain began in September 
2007 under the umbrella of the ACORDAR 
Project. The first step was to conduct a 
field survey to gather information on crop 
yields, production costs, areas available for 
planting, income, available technology and 
end-uses of produce. The information 
gathered was used as basis to plan project 
activities. 
The initial baseline survey served to define 
the indicators that would be used to 
measure value chain progress. The three 
partner organizations with most experience 
in beans were selected in participate in the 
study: ADDAC, Caritas–Estelí and 
CECOOPSEMEIN. Each organization 
named a representative to serve on the 
Beans Technical Committee. 
CIAT  trained committee members in 
different aspects related to value chains so 
these members could select key actors 
from each link of the value chain: 
producers (cooperative organizations and 
individual medium-scale producers); 
processors such as La Dalia Union of 
Livestock Cooperatives, Leonel Torrez, 
Wal-Mart Nicaragua/Vegetables and Fruits 
(Hortifruti),Eco Grano, LAFISE, and the 
San Francisco Rice Company as well as 
transportation companies; financial service 
providers such as Bancentro, the Local 
Development Fund (FDL, its Spanish 
acronym), the National Rural Savings and 
Loan Cooperative (CARUNA, its Spanish 
acronym) and Pro Credit; and non-
financial service providers such as Duwest, 
Rappaccioli McGregor S.A. (RAMAC, its 
Spanish acronym), the Nicaraguan 
Institute for Agricultural Technology (INTA, 
its Spanish acronym) and the Ministry of 
Agriculture and Forestry (MAGFOR, its 
Spanish acronym). Once potential actors 
were identified, a value chain negotiation 
workshop was held so each actor could 
recognize its role and participation in the 
different links of the value chain, 
depending on their functions and 
experience. 
From October 2007 to November 2008, 
the Beans Technical Committee worked on 
a Competitiveness Strategy for the beans 
value chain that set forth strategic 
objectives and specific activities to be 
executed by the ACORDAR Project. 
6The alliances were 
established to obtain 
accessible lines of credit, 
better prices, input 
validation, joint investment 
of leverage funds, flexibility 
in procurement processes of 
registered seed for 
certification and the 
implementation and 
promotion of new 
technologies among small 
producers. 
The strategy was jointly presented together 
with bean producers to municipal authorities 
and other key actors, such as the national 
providers of financial and non-financial 
services. 
The strategic objectives of the 
Competitiveness Strategy focused on three 
links: Production, Postharvest Handling, and 
Marketing. 
Production link
This stage aimed to produce high-quality 
beans that met market requirements and 
satisfied consumer preferences. It was 
therefore necessary to improve crop yields, 
and several activities were promoted 
accordingly. 
To begin, the members of the Beans 
Technical Committee established alliances 
with financial and non-financial service 
providers as RAMAC, Duwest, the Forest 
and Agricultural Products Company 
(PROFYSA, its Spanish acronym), 
Agropecuaria Bravo S.A. (ABRASA, its 
Spanish acronym), the National Federation 
of Agricultural and Agroindustrial 
Cooperatives (FENACOOP, its Spanish 
acronym), the Northern Cooperative of Seed 
Production and Hope (Esperanza Coop, its 
Spanish acronym), the Agricultural 
Corporation (AGRICORP, its Spanish 
acronym), the Integrated Pest Management 
Program in Central America (PROMIPAC, its 
Spanish acronym), the SICTA Network, the 
Food and Agriculture Organization of the 
United Nations (FAO), the Santa Lucia Bean 
Producers’ Association (ASOPROL, its 
Spanish acronym), the National Agrarian 
University (UNA, its Spanish acronym), the 
National Union of Farmers and Livestock 
Producers (UNAG, its Spanish acronym), 
INTA’s National Livestock Research Center, 
MAGFOR and FDL. 
The aforementioned alliances were 
established to obtain accessible lines of 
credit, better prices and input validation. 
The joint investment of leverage funds for 
validation was also sought as well as 
flexibility in procurement processes of 
registered seed for certification and the 
implementation and promotion of new 
technologies among small producers. A 
predrying tunnel for beans was accordingly 
purchased and fertigation applied to crops. 
Planting density was also reduced from 
200,000 to 120,000 plants per manzana1. 
  1. 1 manzana (mz) = 1.72 acres or 7,026 m2
7An agreement was also signed with the 
Nicaraguan Union of Agricultural Producers 
(UPANIC, its Spanish acronym) to foster the 
commercial purchase/sale of beans and to 
promote the use of the inoculant 
NITRONAT as a technology to improve 
nitrogen use by beans. 
Twenty-one field technicians were 
contracted as part of the strategy to 
strengthen technical know-how of women 
and men bean producers as well as improve 
crop productivity and establish commercial 
relationships. These technicians, who would 
dedicate 50% of their time to activities 
related to the bean value chain, represented 
an administrative cost of US$284,734 
(wages, social benefits, office expenditures) 
and an operational cost of US$141,800. 
The abovementioned changes made it 
possible to establish 126.71 hectares of 
certified seed to produce 2,698 quintals2 of 
beans. A total investment of US$12,266 was 
necessary, of which USAID contributed 
US$5,813 and bean producers, US$6,453 
from their own funds. These changes in the 
production process were accompanied by 
the technical monitoring of 17,014 hectares 
planted to beans, 2,158 hectares of which 
were established by women bean producers 
during the five years of the project. 
The project benefited 4,898 women and 
men bean producers of northern Nicaragua. 
The cooperatives facilitated producers’ 
access to credit to produce bean seed. 
As a result, 1,739 hectares were planted to 
beans, benefiting 400 bean producers of the 
municipalities of Sébaco, La Trinidad, San 
Dionisio, Jinotega, San Nicolás, Terrabona, 
Condega, Totogalpa, San Ramón and La 
Dalia. In addition, 3,031 qq of quality seed 
were delivered, valued 
at US$180,192. 
  2. 1 quintal (qq) = 100 lb or 46 kg.
8The ACORDAR Project 
invested US$13,000 to 
train 1,500 women and 
men bean producers in 
aspects related to 
harvesting and 
postharvest handling. 
USAID contributed US$127,856 for its 
purchase, project partners US$5,994 and 
bean producers US$46,342. Similarly, 
4,386 qq certified seed were also delivered, 
increasing yields by 11.8% between 2007 
and 2012, from 11.6 to 13.09 qq/mz. 
An agreement was signed with the Upanic 
Agroindustrial Exchange (BOLSAGRO, its 
Spanish acronym) and the Nicaraguan 
Agricultural Commodity Exchange 
(BAGSA, its Spanish acronym) to reduce 
tax payments, from 3 to 1.7%. This also 
represented a reduction in the sales costs 
of the end product. 
The alliances that had the greatest 
impact on bean production were 
those established with 
RAMAC, FENACOOP, and 
Esperanza Coop because the 
co-investment of funds and 
technical assistance made it possible to 
plant 319.72 hectares to beans, valued at 
US$89,262. This initiative benefited          
294 women and men bean producers of 
the departments of Estelí, Jinotega and 
Matagalpa. 
Training events and sensitization 
workshops empowered both women and 
men bean producers to establish alliances 
with the city halls of Darío, La Trinidad, 
San Nicolás, Jinotega, Esquipulas, Quilalí, 
Pueblo Nuevo, Condega, Palacagüina, 
Totogalpa, Estelí, Waslala, Rancho 
Grande, La Dalia and San Ramón. 
Bean producers took advantage of these 
alliances to advocate the need to improve 
roads and production infrastructure and, 
as a result, municipal governments 
became increasingly interested in 
supporting the value chain. Proof of this 
successful lobbying was the allocation of 
funds by municipal governments to repair 
roads in major bean production areas. 
Training was offered to 1,500 women and 
men bean producers in integrated pest 
9management, certified seed production, 
postharvest handling, fertilization, grain 
standardization, nutritional uses of beans, 
household production, among others. 
The ACORDAR Project invested 
US$13,000 in these activities, but this 
figure does not include the cost of several 
workshops that were financed exclusively 
by producers. These efforts led to an 
increased production of seed and 
commercial grain, which in turn increased 
producers’ income and generated a higher 
sales tax collection in each municipality. 
To strengthen the business skills of 
producer organizations, an agreement was 
signed with the Tropical Agricultural 
Research and Higher Education Center 
(CATIE, its Spanish acronym) to execute a 
pilot-scale project “Knowledge 
Management for Value Chain 
Development3”, which consisted of 
gathering, processing and disseminating 
field data (area planted, yields, climate, 
prices, markets) that could serve as a crop 
management tool to facilitate decision 
making. 
A project was also carried out in 
coordination with the US Sustainable 
Food Laboratory4 to measure greenhouse 
gas emissions on small bean farms in 
northern Nicaragua. The initiative analyzed 
the carbon dioxide released and captured 
in production and other on-farm activities 
and, based on analysis results, 
recommended practices that could reduce 
the amount of greenhouse gases emitted, 
such as the incorporation of stubble and 
the use of agro-forestry systems and 
organic fertilizers. 
Postharvest handling link
Bean producers contributed US$7, 577 
and USAID, US$6,439, to build a 
collection and marketing hub in El Tule–
Condega. This hub aimed to provide 
pre-harvest services (calculations of yields 
per area, harvest schedules, delivery 
schedules of beans to the Northern Beans 
Agroindustrial Center); post-harvest 
services (such as drying and color pre-
classification); and bean quality 
classification. High-quality grain was sold 
3. http://www.alianzasdeaprendizaje.org/tematicas-de-aprendizaje/60-gestion-de-conocimiento-para-el-desarrollo-de-cadenas-de-valor-
inclusivas-y-sostenibles-k4valuechains 
4. http://www.sustainablefoodlab.org/
10
in select markets that offered higher prices 
because of the added value, while the rest 
of the produce was sold in other markets 
such as store retailers. 
The Northern Beans Agroindustrial Center 
was also built in the community of Santa 
Isabel, Sébaco, to give added value to the 
product —a process that involves 
classifying, cleaning, polishing and 
packaging. The center cost US$923,696, of 
which US$921,682 were contributed by 
USAID and US$2,014 by producer 
organizations members of 
CECOOPSEMEIN5, the entity responsible 
for managing the center that offers its 
processing services to producers and 
traders nationwide. 
Both facilities were designed with a capacity 
to process 75,000 qq per year, generating 
200 permanent jobs of which 160 have 
been occupied by women and 40 by men. 
With an investment of US$7,803, eight 
platform scales, five moisture testers and 
200 idle pulleys were distributed among the 
collection centers of the cooperatives of the 
Producers Society for Rural Business 
Development (APODER, its Spanish 
acronym), Ríos de Agua Viva, Flor de Dalia 
and Flor de Pancasán. Not only did the 
volume of end product increase, but jobs 
were also generated. 
Thirty-six workshops on postharvest 
management of the crop were also offered 
at a total cost of US$4,320. These 
workshops, attended by 640 bean 
producers, aimed to improve product 
quality and thus increase competitiveness 
in regional and international markets. 
Emphasis was placed on sharing know-how 
on postharvest handling of the product, 
percentage of moisture for storage,        
pre-classification by color and variety, and 
percentage of broken and damaged grains 
5.   CECOOPSEMEIN 
owns the Northern Beans 
Agroindustrial Center, where 
it offers processing services 
to bean producers and traders 
nationwide, at a cost.
Both collection facilities 
established by the 
ACORDAR project 
generated 200 permanent 
jobs, 160 of which have 
been occupied by women 
and 40 by men. 
11
in accordance with Nicaragua´s technical 
standards for beans.
On the other hand, the alliances established 
with city halls facilitated the implementation 
of technical recommendations for the 
building of production facilities in each 
municipality in the area of influence of the 
ACORDAR Project as well as the granting of 
the pertinent environmental licenses to 
build water catchment facilities or reservoirs 
such as basins, small lagoons, microdams 
and storage facilities. Improved 
communication with city halls made it 
possible to coordinate environmental 
activities and to diffuse, through pamphlets, 
regulations and decrees that aim to protect 
water sources, avoid the felling of trees, 
help control burnings and protect natural 
reserves.
Finally, by becoming a member of the 
SICTA Network6, CECOOPSEMEIN was 
able to share know-how and learn from 
the experiences of other organizations 
about new maize and bean technologies. 
An outcome of becoming member was 
the IICA–SICTA Network/
CECOOPSEMEIN alliance to implement 
the use of a predrying microtunnel to 
improve crop management efficiency 
and facilitate adaptation to climate 
change. This project benefited 750 
women and men bean producers, 
reducing postharvest losses up to 40% 
thanks to the use of plastic microtunnels. 
Marketing link
Export requirements and information on 
potential markets were shared with 116 
bean producers, who also participated in 
three complementary business trips to El 
Salvador and one to Costa Rica, 
sponsored by CRS, to make marketing 
contacts for bean collection and 
marketing. Representatives of ASDENIC, 
Caritas, ADDAC and CECOOPSEMEIN 
participated in this endeavor and visited 
the La Tiendona Market, the Sandoval 
Businesses, the Agricultural Commodity 
Exchange, the San Francisco Rice 
Company, the El Salvador Agricultural 
Commodity and Services Exchange 
(BOLPROES, its Spanish acronym) and 
the Roberto Quiñones National School of 
6. The SICTA Network Project is an initiative financed by the 
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) 
that has delegated project management and execution to 
the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture 
(IICA). The project carries out activities in the seven 
Central American countries to promote technological 
innovation with small maize and bean producers and 
strengthen the Central American Agricultural Technology 
Integration System (SICTA, its Spanish acronym). For 
more information, see http://www.redsicta.org/. 
Producer organizations, 
associations of maquila 
workers and exporters 
linked to the ACORDAR 
Project became members 
of APEN, formed part of 
the Beans Sectoral 
Commission, and served 
on the National Beans 
Committee. 
12
7.   The ACORDAR Project designed the governance 
commissions as a consensus-building mechanism among 
different actors of each chain with which it worked, but 
these commissions were consolidated thanks to the 
alliance with the Association of Producers and Exporters of 
Nicaragua (APEN, its Spanish acronym). Because APEN 
already had sectoral commissions for other products, 
the commission created for beans within the ACORDAR 
framework was called the Beans Sectoral Commission 
and today is one of the most active, influential and 
representative organisms of the private sector, which 
includes bean cooperatives.
Agriculture (ENA, its Spanish acronym) in 
Santa Ana, El Salvador, as well as the Jinca 
Group Processing Company and the Fruits 
of the World (FRUMUSA) company in 
Costa Rica. 
On the other hand, the Beans Technical 
Committee made arrangements so that the 
organizations forming part of the beans 
value chain could become members of the 
Association of Producers and Exporters of 
Nicaragua (APEN, its Spanish acronym), 
which later derived into the formation of a 
Governance Commission called the Beans 
Sectoral Commission7. 
Producer organizations, associations of 
maquila workers and exporters converged 
in this Commission, establishing 
collaborative ties and sharing information 
to strengthen the beans value chain. 
Commission directives were acknowledged 
not only by producers but also by the 
business sector, which facilitated its 
inclusion on the National Beans 
Committee of the Nicaraguan 
Government, and were able to represent 
local entities. Actors managed to exert 
influence on governmental entities 
through a series of activities, such as 
negotiating the bean quota export system 
to guarantee national food security and 
the permanent offer of beans. 
Economic, technical and physical 
resources were allocated to strengthen 
entrepreneurial endeavors of producer 
organizations, aiming at their self-
13
sufficiency. A diagnosis was initially 
performed by the Nicaraguan Institute of 
Development and the Program for 
Business Development Services (INDE–
PROSEDE) and self-appraisals were made 
using the Learning Alliance8 approach. 
Support was also provided in the 
organization of and participation in 15 
national and municipal fairs, where 502 
women and men bean producers had the 
opportunity to showcase and offer their 
beans to potential buyers and establish 
commercial relationships. 
There were also external factors that 
facilitated value chain development: the 
Dominican Republic- Central America Free 
Trade Agreement (CAFTA–DR); the 
opening of the Southern Common Market 
(MERCOSUR, its Spanish acronym); the 
commercial relationship with countries of 
the South such as Venezuela; the existence 
of the Central America CA–4 Border 
Control Agreement between Honduras, 
Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala 
that facilitates exports and imports; and 
the presence of external donors interested 
in supporting the beans value chain, which 
helped bring together the actors 
participating in each link to achieve the 
equitable development of the chain and 
raise awareness about the need to 
redistribute the profits obtained from the 
product in a better way.  Another positive 
factor was the creation of a space for 
consensus-building by the Nicaraguan 
Government—the National Beans 
Committee—of which the Beans Sectoral 
Commission forms part. This space 
allowed actors of the beans value chain to 
not only gain representativeness and 
governance, but also increased their 
capacity to influence public policies in 
support of improved marketing of beans. 
8.   The Learning Alliance (AdA, its Spanish 
acronym) [http:/www.alianzasdeaprendizaje.
org/la-partnership-today] is a consortium 
of organizations working for the inclusive 
and sustainable development of rural 
Central America, promoting the sharing of 
learning processes among diverse actors. 
Its 2008-2010 learning cycle gathered 17 
organizations (both within and outside 
ACORDAR) that worked to strengthen their 
socio-organizational and entrepreneurial 
capabilities, starting with a self-appraisal 
of their enterprises, which allowed them to 
identify needs and/or weaknesses that would 
serve as basis to then prepare a participatory 
strategic plan.
14
Other factors, however, affected the value 
chain adversely such as price fluctuation, 
which makes it difficult for organizations to 
make reliable business forecasts, thus 
increasing marketing risks and the 
possibility that not only producers but also 
buyers breach contracts. 
And as if that weren’t enough, the 
Nicaraguan Government established 
policies to control bean exports as alleged 
measures to guarantee plant health and 
food security because of crop losses. 
These measures were in force for 1 year 
and triggered the fall of market prices and 
seriously affected commercial relationships. 
Clients were lost in every link of the chain. 
In addition, there was no solid policy in 
place that fostered bean production and 
marketing, which affected commercial 
relationships and profits along the value 
chain because the policies regulating sale 
prices fixed prices that were lower than 
production costs—primarily affecting 
producers. 
15
Fairer commercial 
relationships because of 
the signing of contracts 
and trade agreements were 
another outcome of the 
ACORDAR Project. These 
ensured better prices and 
increased stability for the 
bean sector. 
Thanks to these 
alliances, organized 
producers now pay up to 
20% less for the inputs 
required to produce 
beans.
The results
Each actor participating in this endeavor 
(providers of inputs and financial 
services, producers and producer 
organizations, traders, processors, 
exporters, municipal governments and 
governmental entities) managed to 
interact with the other actors depending 
on their functions and interests within 
the links of the chain.
Overall outcomes of the ACORDAR 
Project can be summarized as follows: 
•	 Fairer commercial relationships 
because of the signing of contracts 
and trade agreements, which 
ensured better prices and increased 
stability because of the co-
investments to produce and collect 
beans. 
•	 Plant health packages made 
available for improved bean crop 
management. 
•	 Opportunities created to access new 
market niches by offering a value-
added product.
Specific results related to each link of the 
chain are detailed below:
Production link
The relationships established with service 
providers allowed access to credit, inputs, 
technical assistance, technology and 
infrastructure, factors that have fostered 
investment in production, strengthened 
agriculture services offered by 
cooperatives, increased yields and product 
quality, reduced environmental impact and 
facilitated the access to markets with 
competitive sale prices. Bean producers 
are now organized and can purchase 
inputs at accessible prices through 
alliances that have negotiated preferential 
prices with distributors, costing up to     
20% less than traditional market prices. 
Alliances with governmental entities such 
as INTA and MAGFOR were important 
because these institutions coordinated 
exchange visits and training events. 
They also facilitated the registry of 
producer organizations as certified bean 
16
seed producers that complied with the 
requirements and indications of INTA and 
MAGFOR regarding crop management. 
Similarly, the alliances with MAGFOR, 
IICA, UNA and CECOOPSEMEIN made it 
possible to execute the project 
“Strengthening the Certification System of 
Accredited Services and Implementation 
of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, 
Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products 
(MOTSSA). This project invested 
US$8,400 in the infrastructure of three 
farms to showcase Good Agricultural 
Practices (GAPs): storage facilities, mixing 
areas, packaging areas, showers and 
sinks, labels and crop management 
handbooks. 
Producers have also improved their 
production and postharvest management 
techniques. They now use at least three 
project-promoted technologies (certified 
seed, appropriate plant population,          
and use of inoculant to fix nitrogen). 
As a result, product quality has improved 
and yields have increased from             
11.6 to 13.09 qq/mz, both factors 
important for market sustainability. 
Bean producers are now more familiar 
with quality standards for field-grown 
beans and are capable of estimating the 
percentage of loss at collection. 
This allows producers to add value to their 
produce by adopting measures 
beforehand such as classifying the grain 
before transportation to the collection and 
processing hubs, thus increasing the 
percentage of top quality beans and 
reducing sales expenses. 
Nonetheless, the improvement in product 
quality should also be attributed to the 
training producers have received in 
market-related issues as well as the 
lessons learned during exchange visits. 
These experiences have undoubtedly 
helped producers better understand 
national, regional and international market 
demands and adjust their production to 
these requirements accordingly. 
New production and 
postharvest 
management 
techniques have 
increased crop yields 
from 11.6 qq  to 
13.09 qq/mz. 
17
Despite Nicaragua’s climate, producers 
have been able to take advantage of three 
production seasons depending on the area 
where they are located. As a result, beans 
are harvested 8 months a year, directly 
benefiting 4,898 producers of the different 
cooperatives participating in the ACORDAR 
Project because profits are redistributed 
proportionately among cooperative 
members. 
In addition, bean producers now exert 
greater influence on how the municipal 
budget is allocated, which is clearly evident 
in the investment of US$13,218,680 made 
by 15 municipalities in northern Nicaragua 
to improve and maintain access routes 
(filling of potholes, leveling, drainage with 
gutters and sewerage, installation of road 
signs).
Finally, to facilitate the access of bean 
producers to technology and provide 
advisory services to producer cooperatives 
related to project formulation and 
preparation of business plans and 
competitiveness strategies for the agri-food 
chain, two sales points were opened: one at 
the Agri-Services Center of the Multi-Service 
Cooperative of Esquipulas (COOSEMES, its 
Spanish acronym), located in the 
municipality of San Dionisio, and the other 
at the Agri-Services Center of the Multi-
Service Producers’ Cooperative of Jinotega 
(COOSMPROJIN, its Spanish acronym), 
located in the community of Sasle, 
municipality of Jinotega. One sales point 
already existed at the Multi-Service 
Cooperative La Trinidad (COOSEMTRI, its 
Spanish acronym), located in the 
municipality of La Trinidad, Estelí. 
Postharvest handling link
Producer organizations now make better 
use of their collection and processing hubs 
to consolidate and market their products 
with added value. Some 
organizations have achieved 
sustainability and permanence 
in the market by complying 
with Nicaragua’s technical 
standards for                     
export beans. 
18
The certification of Good Manufacturing 
Practices (GMPs) has begun for the 
Northern Beans Agroindustrial Center, 
owned by CECOOPSEMEIN, in association 
with APEN. Three manuals have been 
prepared: the Occupational Safety and 
Hygiene Manual, the Contracting and 
Rules of Procedure Manual, and the 
Functions Manual for the Joint 
Commission. The areas for processing and 
storage were clearly delimited and signs 
were installed. The Joint Commission was 
subsequently formed, whose main function 
is to coordinate activities related to the 
certification of GMPs. This Commission 
worked to successfully obtain the sanitary 
license for the Northern Beans 
Agroindustrial Center. 
As part of the strategy to improve chain 
competitiveness, 19,960 kg of beans were 
packaged in polypropylene bags under 
buyer brands in presentations of                    
0.5, 1 and 2 kg, generating a new source 
of employment for new producers. 
Finally, under the IICA–SICTA Network/
CECOOPSEMEIN 
alliance, 20 transparent 
plastic tunnels were 
established on  bean-
producing farms to 
reduce harvest losses due to heavy rains up 
to 40%. Twenty drip irrigation systems were 
also set up to promote fertigation using 
water-soluble fertilizers to produce bean 
seed during the dry season, thus 
guaranteeing the supply of seed for 
planting in the rainy season.
Marketing link
Till July 2012 and throughout the entire 
project, 36,000 qq value-added beans were 
marketed, benefiting 1,400 families directly 
and other actors, such as transporters and 
clients, indirectly. 
The Northern Beans Agroindustrial Center 
has processed and sold, during 30 months 
of operation, 22,000 qq bean as quality 
end product using produce from small 
producers’ cooperatives.  These 
cooperatives managed to do business not 
only at the national level with the 
Agricultural  Marketing Company, LAFISE, 
Wal-Mart/Hortifruti, Multi-Service 
Cooperative for Nicaraguan Grains 
(GRANIC, its Spanish acronym), Nicarao 
Agri-Services Cooperative (NICARAOCOOP, 
its Spanish acronym), Union of Multi-
Service Cooperatives of Northern 
Nicaragua (UCOSEMUN, its Spanish 
acronym), Central American Commodities 
Trading (CAC Trading), Agro-Export 
19
Technology (TECNOAGRO, its Spanish 
acronym), Omar Fletes, and the Police 
Station, but also at the regional level with 
Precocidos de El Salvador, Allfood and 
Nexus S.A. and at the international level 
with Global York and Grain Depot. 
Traders linked to the ACORDAR Project 
shared information on prices and markets 
(price fluctuation, windows of opportunity 
and market niches) with bean producers. 
This exercise enabled CECOOPSEMEIN to 
position itself as a provider of high-quality 
services and products on the national 
market. 
The sales figure reached during the project 
should be highlighted: 316,568 qq, which is 
equivalent to US$11,375,955, of which 
producers generated US$1,338,425. 
Now that producer organizations 
comprehend the value chain approach,  
they can better understand how the market 
operates and the importance of demand-
based planning. Furthermore, cooperatives 
are now prepared to design a planting and 
harvesting schedule that allows them to 
predict how much they will produce. 
They are also aware of the importance of 
adding value to the grain and of keeping 
abreast of marketing channels. 
Women and men bean producers are 
now informed about the importance of 
standardizing product quality at 
processing (predrying, percentage of 
moisture, percentage of loss). 
Associativity was promoted with the 
establishment of planting schedules to 
ensure satisfaction of market demand 
and better prices. Purchase orders and 
sales agreements proved to be very 
useful tools to ensure compliance.  
The organizations of the marketing link 
already have manuals on policies, 
financial requirements and business 
plans, which makes it easier for them to 
access credits with banks and other 
financial entities. Producers are now able 
to access funds to cover the production 
costs of commercial grain and bean 
seed. 
The coordination among the different 
actors of the value chain has improved. 
Bean producers are now better informed 
about market prices and demand, and 
their organizations have positioned 
themselves in alternative fair-trade 
markets where products can be sold at 
better prices. The National Beans 
Committee was created as a result of the 
synergy in the chain. This committee is 
Throughout the project, 
316,568 qq of beans were 
sold, which is equivalent to 
US$11,375,955.
20
headed by MAGFOR and includes 
representatives of the Ministry of 
Promotion, Industry, and Trade, INTA,          
the Rural Development Institute (IDR, its 
Spanish acronym), APEN, UNAG, the 
National Farmers Union of Associated 
Producers (UNAPA, its Spanish acronym) 
and UPANIC. 
The technical standards for export beans 
have been updated to promote community 
seed production centers. The quality of 
Nicaraguan beans is also being promoted 
on the international market as well as the 
sale of packaged beans under national 
brands, as part of a strategy to promote 
the added value of the product in different 
markets. 
Sale agreements are currently prepared 
with advanced payment to guarantee fixed 
bean prices. The management of all 
cooperatives keeps informed about entry 
and exit prices of beans in local benchmark 
markets at time of collection, and regional 
and international prices are monitored by 
Internet, e-mail, cell phone calls, and even 
face-to-face meetings with bean-related 
commissions and committees. 
A primary field information system is also 
in place, with data on the prevailing price 
for beans per area and final destination of 
produce, supply on offer, bean varieties 
and quality, and estimated yield of quality 
beans during processing. This information 
system facilitates the preparation of 
collection schedules for each cooperative. 
21
Lessons learned
•	 The alliances established between 
producers and other actors of the 
beans value chain evidenced the 
importance of promoting co-investment 
among buyers, traders and producers 
so risks are shared and collection and 
marketing processes streamlined. 
Because of the increased commercial 
associativity, organizations become 
sustainable and are more equitable in 
terms of income and risks. Sales should 
also be secured through purchase 
orders and sales agreements to 
endorse fulfillment by both parties. 
•	 Programs that finance production 
through marketing should be promoted 
to guarantee the permanence of the 
variety in market demand. These 
programs should help build the 
capacity for collection/processing and 
position the product in the market 
through business missions, fairs,  
design of brand name, diffusion and 
promotion. This will increase credibility 
before buyers and ensure greater 
permanence in the national and 
international markets. 
•	 Market segments that consume quality, 
value-added products should be 
identified because these segments are 
more profitable. Value-added products 
are more competitive in the 
international market because of their 
demand by consumers who do not 
have time to clean and select beans as 
well as regional exporters who do not 
have the infrastructure to give added 
value to beans. These processes also 
generate more permanent jobs in the 
area. 
•	 The participation of actors, such as 
intermediaries, maquila workers and 
exporters, in APEN’s Beans Sectoral 
Commission should be promoted as 
well as their participation in the 
different bean-related committees 
promoted by the Nicaraguan 
Government (Technology, Added Value, 
Marketing) to present proposals that 
facilitate and encourage marketing 
activities. 
•	 Members should be sensitized about 
the importance of increasing the 
It is important that the 
technologies being 
promoted are 
sustainable and 
environmentally friendly. 
22
amount of produce they contribute to 
cooperatives. Each member is currently 
contributing 1 qq of beans per planting 
subcycle. Increasing contributions 
would, in turn, increase available 
working capital and also facilitate 
resource mobilization. 
•	 Training programs using the family 
SME approach should be promoted to 
facilitate the creation of small family 
businesses linked to producer 
organizations responsible for 
promoting the sale of locally harvested 
products, adding value to these 
products and developing marketing 
skills. This would also be another 
source of income at the local level and 
an opportunity for family members, 
especially women, to learn how to add 
value to farm products, how to negotiate, 
how to innovate and how to obtain 
income without intermediaries who cut 
producers’ profits. 
•	 The technologies being promoted should 
not only be accessible (inexpensive and 
easy to use), but also sustainable.       
Such is the case of certified seed, 
inoculants and appropriate plant 
densities, among others, that allow bean 
producers to harvest a high-quality 
product and improve yields without 
harming the environment. 
•	 The alliance with municipal governments 
is decisive to promote the dialogue 
between municipal authorities and 
producers. Training events are also 
important so producers can learn about 
the legal framework that endorses their 
participation in spaces such as the 
allocation of the municipal budget. 
Producers are empowered to influence 
how funds are used to benefit their 
communities. 
23
•	 The increased participation of women in 
directive positions as well as production, 
value added and marketing activities 
should be promoted. It is important for 
women to participate in decision-making 
processes and promote the access of other 
women to the chain. Women in 
management positions serve as models 
and motivation for other women, and make 
it easier for other women members to 
access new resources, 
knowledge and 
technologies that will 
improve their quality 
of life and open 
opportunities for them 
to have their own source of income 
and thus contribute to the family 
income. 
•	 Activities that lead to the efficient use 
and management of water resources 
should be encouraged to prevent soil 
erosion, protect water sources and 
promote reforestation, in addition to 
ensuring food production in bean-
producing households. 
24
25
This publication compiling the work of the ACORDAR Project is made possible 
by the generous support of the American People through the United States 
Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the 
responsibility of the ACORDAR Project and do not necessarily reflect the views 
of USAID or the United States Government.
Producer Organizations 
Promoting Integrated Development with 
a Value Chain Approach