From theory to the farm: a hands-on training programme
This intensive programme, facilitated by M.Sc. Ricardo Navarro, was designed to provide our technical teams and coordinators with advanced agronomic knowledge. Over two days, participants examined the key factors that drive productivity, including soil conditions, fertilization and biostimulation. The goal was to ensure that the support provided to farmers is grounded in solid scientific principles.
The greatest impact of the course was helping the technical team connect soil analysis, plant physiology and soil biology with practical management decisions aimed at improving nutrient and fertilizer efficiency.
Ricardo Navarro, Opti-Grow Agronomic Services
Optimizing soil nutrition requires moving beyond the paradigm of quantity.
Aldo Soriano, Solidaridad México
Technical excellence to serve farmers
At Solidaridad, we believe knowledge is the foundation of resilient, productive and sustainable agriculture. Our field teams and project managers play a central role in technology transfer and in working alongside thousands of cocoa, coffee and palm oil producers across the region.
This workshop directly connected the technical skills gained by our team with the practical benefits experienced by farmers:
- Scientific and accurate diagnosis: moving beyond surface-level observation to understand how soil physics, air, water and compaction interact with regional conditions and affect root development. Teams analyse the foundational health of crops before recommending inputs, ensuring evidence-based advice.
- Resource optimization and profitability: interpreting advanced soil analyses to design fertilization plans tailored to each phenological stage. This approach enables precise recommendations, avoids unnecessary costs, maximizes input efficiency and protects farmers’ incomes.
- Applied innovation: integrating new tools, such as biostimulation and biochar, to improve plant physiological efficiency and regenerate soil health. These technical responses help address climate challenges and strengthen the long-term sustainability of farms.
True performance comes from balanced soil: appropriate physical structure, corrected pH and active organic matter. Without these conditions, fertilization loses effectiveness. With them, we ensure full nutrient uptake and resilience in coffee systems.
Aldo Soriano, Solidaridad México
By strengthening the technical capacity of our regional team, we ensure that every recommendation reaching the farm contributes to higher productivity, profitability and sustainability for farming families.
“For Solidaridad, real impact happens on the farm. Investing in strengthening our team’s technical capacity is, therefore, a strategic decision,” says María Durán, Regional Manager, Solidaridad Central America. “It enables us to provide farmers with practical, science-based recommendations that are essential to improving productivity, profitability and climate resilience. Through rigorous diagnostics and the implementation of innovative solutions such as biochar, we are creating the conditions for farming families to achieve sustainable prosperity.”
A regional exchange: scaling shared learning
The diversity of participants enriched the workshop. Bringing together specialists from four countries created space to compare realities and share experiences in cocoa, coffee and palm oil production systems.
These learning spaces strengthen our technical knowledge in key areas such as soil fertility and plant nutrition, enhancing the way we work alongside producers in the palm oil sector.
Gabriela Jeffs, Solidaridad Honduras
During 2025, we validated the potential of biochar through pilot projects. The next step is scaling this solution to reach more farmers. This training provided the technical tools needed to expand the practice across value chains and countries. Our aim is for carbon capture and improved soil fertility to move beyond experimentation and become an agronomic reality for coffee, cocoa and palm oil across Mesoamerica.
“The soil fertility training allowed me to deepen my understanding of the soil microbiome, a dimension that was not fully addressed during my academic training, which focused primarily on physical and chemical aspects,” shares Elisa Rocha of Solidaridad Nicaragua. “The course reinforced the relationship between microbiology, plant physiology and fertilizer efficiency, as well as the importance of soil analysis and accurate interpretation for more integrated and sustainable soil management.”
Next steps
Participants return to their countries not only with new knowledge on nutrient balances and plant physiology but also with a renewed vision of how technical assistance can become a genuine driver of change in production systems.
“The training was highly valuable in strengthening my work on biochar projects and sustainable soil management in Guatemala. One of the main contributions was learning how to formulate nutrition recommendations based on analytical results. This is essential for integrating biochar effectively as a soil amendment and biostimulant,” shares Martha Gómez, Solidaridad Guatemala.
As part of the next phase, soil microbiome analysis will be incorporated as a key tool to strengthen an integrated fertility approach. This will deepen understanding of microbial communities and their role in nutrient availability and dynamics, fertilizer efficiency, soil health and crop resilience. The data generated will enable more precise management, aimed at correcting biological imbalances and promoting more sustainable agricultural practices.
“Knowledge management within the team is essential to consolidating a holistic vision of soil as a living system. As agronomists and foresters, it is critical to integrate physical, chemical and biological aspects of soil, including the microbiome, and understand their relationship with plant physiology and efficient fertilizer use,” says the Solidaridad Nicaragua team. “Sharing field experiences, critically interpreting soil and microbiological analyses and systematizing technical learning strengthen decision-making, promote more sustainable agricultural practices and contribute to decarbonization and resilience efforts within national production systems.”
Soil nutrition is therefore consolidated as the foundation for improving productivity and profitability in coffee, cocoa and palm oil.
Martha Gómez, Solidaridad Guatemala
At Solidaridad, we will continue investing in the technical excellence of our team. We are convinced that stronger preparation translates into more resilient, efficient and prosperous farmers who are better equipped to face today’s production, climate and environmental challenges.