The project, “The Application of Science and Technology for the Development of Micro, Small and Medium Sized Agribusinesses in the Rural Sectors of Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean” was conceptualized in 2001 and implementation began in 2002.  The project was financed by the Organization of American States (OAS) and coordinated by the Centro Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos (CITA) from Costa Rica.

There were ten (10) participating countries in the project with an executing agency in each country:
Costa Rica
Ecuador
El Salvador
Honduras
Jamaica
Nicaragua
Panama
Republica Dominicana
Trinidad and Tobago
Uraguay Centro Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos (CITA)
Instituto Ecuatoriano de Normalizació (INEN)
Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT)
Universidad Tecnologica Centroamericana (UNITEC)
Scientific Research Council (SRC)
Laboratario de Tecnologia de Alimentos (LABAL)
Universidad de Tecnologia de Panama (UTP)
Direccion de Normas y Sisternas de Calidad (DIGENOR)
Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI)
Laboratorio Tecnologico de Uruguay (LATU)
 

The Dominican Republic subsequently withdrew from the project.
The project sought to assist small enterprises in three (3) areas:
General Business Management
Environmental Management
Quality Management
To facilitate the participating countries, representatives from the executing agencies were trained in these areas during a programme in Costa Rica.  This “Train the Trainer” Programme was intended to build capacity to allow execution of the project.

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