CMP successfully concludes a new year of the Agroemprende Fund, strengthening sustainable agriculture in the territory

The program’s closing milestone included a fair showcasing beneficiaries’ products, talks on business formalization, guided tours of the farm, and opportunities to share experiences and lessons learned throughout 2025.

With the participation of small-scale farmers from the localities of Huasco, Huasco Bajo, Canto del Agua, and Llanos del Lagarto, Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP) successfully concluded a new cycle of the Agroemprende Fund, an initiative that for the third consecutive year has promoted local productive development through technical capacity building, on-site advisory services, and applied technology transfer.

During 2025, the program stood out for implementing demonstration modules in each locality, with a focus on hydroponics, efficient water use, and sustainable soil management, promoting a more sustainable agricultural sector in the territory.

“This activity is part of the work we have been developing for more than three years now. The Agroemprende program aims to provide technical capabilities to small local farmers, helping them transition toward more ecological and environmentally friendly agriculture. In addition, we carry out hands-on technology transfer on our farm, where tailored advisory services are provided,”

explained Sandra Ortiz, CMP Superintendent of Community Relations and Territorial Value.

The closing event featured a local products fair, where participants showcased the results of their work, along with a strategic talk by the Sercotec Vallenar Business Center on the new formalization law that comes into force on January 2, providing key tools for entrepreneurs to consolidate their initiatives sustainably. The day also included spaces to share experiences and lessons learned during the year, as well as guided tours of the nursery, hydroponic garden, and olive groves at CMP’s Los Olivos de Bellavista farm.

For program beneficiaries, the impact has been reflected in improvements to their productive processes. This was highlighted by Dioselinda Ramos, a farmer from Llanos del Lagarto:

“Thanks to this program, my products have improved significantly. CMP has helped us a lot with supplies, manure, and fertilizer to work the land. It has been a great help—I am very grateful to the company and to the instructor, who is dedicated and teaches us exactly what we need to move our products forward.”

Meanwhile, Liliana Fernández, a beekeeper from Canto del Agua, emphasized the comprehensive learning gained through her participation:

“I am eternally grateful to CMP because I have learned so much. I wasn’t a beekeeper or a farmer before; today we work in family farming. This program taught me how to improve and understand my soil, and then hydroponics. Everything I do has a dual purpose: what I grow feeds my bees and my family. This has given me tremendous tools—I’ve learned a lot.”

CMP explained that its work in agriculture responds to a complementary territorial strategy developed along two lines of action. On one hand, through the ProOlivo Fund, which supports farmers dedicated to olive production, strengthening the quality of olive oil and related products. On the other, through the Agroemprende program, which supports small farmers with more diverse production needs that are not addressed by the former initiative.

In this regard, Sandra Ortiz emphasized that:

“the company’s purpose is to contribute—at the core of its processes—to local, sustainable development that endures over time. Agroemprende complements our work with ProOlivo by strengthening a productive activity that is characteristic of the Huasco Province and generating a direct impact on small farmers and on our relationship with the territory.”