San José, 5 June 2026 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Latin American Bioeconomy Network launched the BioSinergia 2026 series of webinars, aimed at building capacities to transform biological resources into inputs for productive, inclusive, and sustainable development in the region.
The current edition expands on a process that began in recent years, by incorporating practical tools, methodologies, and experiences that facilitate strategic decision-making and the transformation of bioeconomic potential in Latin America and the Caribbean into concrete development projects.
BioSinergia 2026 gives continuity to the first edition of the program, carried out between 2024 and 2025, which delivered training to more than 315 participants from over 15 countries, and featured 36 international speakers. On that occasion, key topics addressed included bioeconomy approaches and principles, priority scientific areas, biobusinesses, and public policies.
Individuals interested in participating in the webinars can find relevant information and register via a QR code on the social media accounts of IICA and the Latin American Bioeconomy Network.
Hugo Chavarría, Executive Secretary of the Latin American Bioeconomy Network and Manager of IICA’s Innovation and Bioeconomy Program, emphasized that BioSinergia is the result of collaborative work between the organizations.
“We are more than 100 institutions from 18 countries that have been working together for over three years to share knowledge, methodologies, experiences, and capabilities that will allow for accelerating the development of the bioeconomy in Latin America. This second edition reflects precisely that spirit of regional collaboration: learning from one another, avoiding duplication, and building common tools so that countries and territories can move forward faster and more skillfully,” added Chavarría.
The program has established itself as a regional platform for learning and exchange that fosters the development of technical and institutional capacities, as well as coordination between key stakeholders in the bioeconomic ecosystem, including decision-makers, academia, the private sector, and cooperation agencies.
Through this platform, the goal is to transition from knowledge toward the implementation of bioeconomy strategies, policies, and concrete initiatives in the territories.
From potential to action in territorial bioeconomy
The 2026 cycle began with the webinar “Mapping, Analyzing, and Transforming Biomass: Tools for Identifying Real Opportunities in Territorial Bioeconomy.” This is a key topic for Latin American and Caribbean countries seeking to define which sectors to prioritize, identify their bioeconomic potential, and determine which instruments to use to convert biological resources, biodiversity, waste, and knowledge into sustainable economic opportunities.
The launch event of BioSinergia 2026 addressed one of the most critical questions for the development of the bioeconomy: how to transform potential into action. Within this framework, the first webinar was designed as a highly practical forum aimed at analyzing how available resources—such as biomass, biodiversity, waste, scientific capabilities, and territorial knowledge—can become key inputs for making strategic decisions, mobilizing investments, formulating public policies, and designing projects with a tangible impact on territories.
The first session of BioSinergia 2026 shared the experiences of countries that are designing national bioeconomy strategies using concrete methodologies to identify and prioritize opportunities. The session, which was attended by Elvis Stevens García Torreblanca, of the Ministry of Environment of Peru, and Ediner Fuentes-Campos, of the National Research System of Panama, addressed the challenges countries face in defining priorities and developing national bioeconomy agendas.
Consultant Rafael Aramendis from Colombia; Mónica Trujillo, from the Stockholm Environment Institute; Miguel Lengyel, from CIECTI/FLACSO Argentina; and Daniel Ruiz, from the CIRCE Technology Center, also spoke about tools and methodologies for analyzing and developing bioeconomic value chains and presented concrete approaches for analyzing chains and identifying opportunities in different contexts.
Lastly, Paola Zapata of Universidad CES in Medellín, presented the topic of territorial governance and implementation, underscoring the importance of translating opportunities identified into concrete territorial development strategies.
“BioSinergia was created precisely for this purpose: so that the knowledge and experiences that already exist in the region may be shared, adapted, and applied by other countries and territories. The first session of 2026 demonstrated that the question is no longer simply whether Latin America has bioeconomic potential, but how we identify it, how we prioritize it, and how we transform it into sustainable, inclusive, and territorial development,” noted Zapata.
The 2026 webinar series will continue with several thematic sessions aimed at addressing key issues such as public policy, financing, strategic communication, and implementation tools. Through this initiative, IICA and the Latin American Bioeconomy Network reaffirm their commitment to capacity building in the region, promoting the sustainable use of biological resources, and the creation of new economic opportunities for rural areas.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
