Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agricultural chains

Short marketing circuits and the digitalization of agricultural trade are promoted in Costa Rica

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

A pilot plan launched by IICA and other organizations is already operating in a Costa Rican community and will be validated for use in two additional locations.

Jale

San Jose, 7 July 2020 (IICA)Jale a la Feria is a new digital platform that seeks to establish a direct connection between agricultural producers and consumers in Costa Rica through the use of technological solutions that facilitate trade in local markets. The app was developed as a way to respond to the changes generated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the National Farmers’ Markets Board, as well as the Social Shot Latam and Sibú Sociedad Civil organizations are collaborating on the initiative.

Jale a la Feria began as a pilot project in the Vázquez de Coronado canton of the province of San Jose, Costa Rica. More than 60 farmers are currently utilizing the platform to market around 80 products.

The goal is to gradually incorporate more farmers until the platform is able to provide the full range of products regularly sold in farmers’ markets.

“This pilot plan is a valuable initiative made possible through public-private collaboration. It has allowed for validating technological innovations that can be replicated in other communities and countries, and that are required to reactivate agricultural trade within the context of the pandemic. The platform has also fostered more direct linkages between producers and consumers”, stated specialist Kenneth Solano of the IICA Delegation in Costa Rica.

Customers who place an order on the platform may request home delivery or pick up the products themselves at the San Martín de Coronado market. In either case, product handling and delivery are carried out in strict compliance with the protocols established by the Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, protect human health, as well as guarantee food safety and quality.

The working group will be testing the technological tool in the rural communities of Sarapiquí and San Mateo. It is also developing a strategy to scale up the initiative and implement the marketing platform in more regions of Costa Rica.

By offering products sold in several farmers’ markets, Jale a la Feria is expected to become a permanent marketing mechanism that provides new options to consumers.

 

More information:

Kenneth Solano, Specialist at the IICA Delegation in Costa Rica

kenneth.solano@iica.int

Jale a la Feria

jalealaferia@gmail.com

Share

Related news​

Ribeirao Preto, Brasil

June 27, 2025

At the IFAMA World Conference, IICA Director General underscored the need to build a new narrative for agriculture to be recognized as essential for solutions to planetary challenges

The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, participated in Brazil in one of the largest global conferences in the agricultural sector, IFAMA, where he emphasized the need to build a new narrative highlighting the essential role of agriculture in the Americas as part of the solution to the challenges facing humanity.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Montreal, Canadá

June 26, 2025

Countries of the Americas positioned themselves as global suppliers of sustainable aviation fuels at key industry event held in Montreal

The Pan American Coalition on Liquid Biofuels (CPBIO) had a prominent role at the Aviation Climate Week of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), held in Montreal (Canada), with the participation of leading actors in the sector who discussed the latest developments in environmental matters.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Brasilia, Brazil

June 25, 2025

IICA strengthens its partnership with EMBRAPA and is set to install its Home of Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas pavilion in the “AgriZone” at COP30

During the meeting, the senior EMBRAPA and IICA officials also exchanged ideas on how to deepen reciprocal collaboration at the international level, with a focus on cooperation with countries in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins