This consultancy project was designed to support the Kábata Könana Indigenous Women’s Association in strengthening its institutional, socioeconomic, and environmental resilience within the Cabécar Indigenous Territory in Talamanca, Costa Rica. The core challenge facing the community was the need to implement a sustainable livelihoods strategy that could simultaneously promote organic agriculture, protect their critical natural resources and ensure economic stability. In 2025, with the support of the German NGO Love for Life, Pangea Sostenible developed of a comprehensive sustainable agrotourism strategy for the women’s association, which included the creation of a new income stream that was both culturally relevant and environmentally responsible.
Business plan development and capacity building
The scope of work spanned the entire product development lifecycle, from conceptual design to market readiness. This included the elaboration of a detailed agrotourism business plan, which covered the business idea formulation, required investments, specific training needs, and the identification of key strategic partners. The project also included a prototyping phase, where the tourism offer was tested and validated with real customers. To ensure the long-term viability of the venture, we facilitated a series of workshops and training sessions. These were specifically focused on administrative, financial and operational management, equipping the women entrepreneurs with the necessary knowledge and skills to formally manage the new tourism product and guarantee a smooth, professional operation.
The marketing material, including a brand and a catalogue of tourism products, was developed using a participatory approach with the indigenous entrepreneurs and community members. A pivotal action was the execution of a familiarization trip to present the designed tourism product to potential buyers. This full-day, immersive experience was structured around core activities such as a cacao process demonstration, a contribution to ancestral reforestation practices, and agroecology workshop, and a traditional lunch featuring a “farm and mountain to table” concept. The fam trip targeted hotel representatives and tour operators from the Cahuita and Puerto Viejo areas, providing vital feedback used to finalize the tourism offer, and establishing the initial commercialization contacts necessary for creating effective market linkages.
Achieving socioeconomic and environmental impact
As a direct result of the project, the Indigenous Women’s Association Kábata Könana now possesses a sustainable tourism product that is fully validated and market-ready. The initiative should provide a consistent income stream, directly supporting the economic independence of the women while reinforcing the promotion of agroecological practices and food sustainability within the territory.
By formalizing its offer, the indigenous association not only secures a valuable new livelihood but also ensures that the conservation of their ancestral territory and the preservation of the Cabécar worldview are integrated into every aspect of the business.
Consultants: Santaine Aubourg, Felipe Zalamea
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