ILS LEDA conducted a mission to the city of Nacaome, Honduras, from March 31 to April 4, 2025, as part of the “Innovations and Development for a Green Economy” project, co-financed by the European Union through the AL-INVEST Verde Programme. The mission was made possible through the efforts of Giulia Rucireta, LED Project Officer at ILS LEDA. Its objective was to assess the potential and needs of the sesame and dairy value chains using ILS LEDA RESCO methodology, with a view to developing strategic guidelines for their sustainable development.

The main outcomes of the mission included the establishment of two multi-stakeholder focus groups, which enabled a participatory analysis of the two value chains, and the successful completion of the evaluation process.

The focus groups were composed as follows:

• Sesame value chain: 25 participants, including 12 representatives from the productive sector (2 producer organizations and 10 independent producers), 5 local government representatives, 5 service providers (2 public and 3 private), and 3 academic institutions.
• Dairy value chain: 24 participants, including 9 representatives from the productive sector (1 producer organization and 8 independent producers), 6 local government representatives, 5 private service providers, and 4 academic institutions.

The evaluation was conducted using the RESCO method, which involved the completion of a comprehensive questionnaire—either individually or collectively—covering 9 components, 50 variables, and 317 indicators. Focus group participants completed the questionnaire within the expected timeframe and showed strong engagement throughout the process.

To deepen the analysis, follow-up meetings were held for each value chain with local sector experts—such as university professors, agronomists, and technical consultants—focusing on organoleptic properties, biochemical profiles, nutritional values, and competitive advantages specific to each chain.

The RESCO (Resources for Sustainable Competitiveness) methodology enabled the analysis of the following components:

• Component 1: Competitive Advantages (10 variables)
• Component 2: Market Access (3 variables)
• Component 3: Status of the Value Chains (5 variables)
• Component 4: Barriers to Full Valorization (9 variables)
• Component 6: Sustainability (4 variables)
• Component 7: Green Economy (6 variables)
• Component 8: Circular Economy and Resilience (10 variables)
• Component 9: Gender Equality (3 variables)

This data will serve as a key input, which, combined with insights from secondary literature, will inform preliminary proposals for strategic development guidelines for the two value chains. These proposals will be presented, discussed, and validated by the focus groups during a follow-up mission.