Amazonian Fruits as Emerging Value Networks: Insights from Guaviare, Colombia

The methodological frameworks applied in the Colombian Amazon to study emerging agri-food systems are insufficient, as they often employ linear models that fail to recognize the importance of small-scale producer networks that depend on the integration and cooperation of other actors to form part of a value chain. In this study, the value network (VN) perspective was applied to characterize four Amazonian fruits identified as emerging agricultural economies in rural communities: Seje (Oenocarpus bataua), Asaí (Euterpe precatoria), Moriche (Mauritia flexuosa), and Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes). The research was conducted in the Amazonian department of Guaviare, where economic momentum around value networks of Amazonian fruits has emerged in recent years. The framework proposed by Sprinzer-Heinze was adapted, using the social, economic, institutional, and environmental dimensions instead of linear chains to analyze the value networks (VNs). Data collection combined participatory workshops, surveys, and interviews with key actors involved throughout the value network, and an index was constructed to compare the networks and identify their strengths and weaknesses. The study was complemented with social network analyses to assess the levels of cooperation among key actors across each product’s value network. The findings reveal that value networks have emerged as an institutional attempt to implement a strategy aimed at enhancing rural livelihoods and promoting economic initiatives with a lower impact on deforestation. Nevertheless, further actions are required to strengthen such networks, as their performance remains weak in aspects such as environmental sustainability, technological upgrading, innovation, and institutional and social support. Social network analysis revealed a common structure characterized by interconnections among producers, associations, and institutions across all value networks. However, these actors need to develop a more robust network culture to better coordinate their actions and ensure long-term sustainability.