By Paula Auerbach

In Ecuador’s Amazon, the Canopy Bridge Food Lab is advancing the development of a model that transforms biodiversity into economic opportunities for local communities. Canopy Bridge, a platform developed by EcoDecisión, focuses on building markets for underutilized Amazonian ingredients—including macambo (Theobroma bicolor), for which it was a pioneer in Ecuador—through culinary research, product development, and partnerships with chefs and restaurants in Ecuador and abroad.

The initiative will directly benefit 600 small-scale producers in the provinces of Napo and Pastaza—most of them from vulnerable populations—while strengthening 10 bioenterprises linked to agroforestry systems. These enterprises are supported through research and development processes, the design of new food products, market validation, and the enhancement of productive and commercial capacities. With a total investment of US$1 million, including US$500,000 from IDB Lab, the project aims to significantly increase producers’ incomes through the development and commercialization of new food products based on underutilized Amazonian crops, with the potential to double their income in the medium term.

Beyond the figures, the initiative responds to a key question: how can biodiversity be transformed into a real development opportunity? In territories where production is concentrated in a few crops, expanding the productive base not only reduces risks but also opens new possibilities for market access and value creation.

The Canopy Bridge Food Lab operates at this point of transition between potential and market. Through research, product development, and capacity building, the initiative connects local knowledge with innovation processes that enable production diversification and facilitate integration into broader value chains.

IDB Lab’s role focuses on supporting these processes at early stages, where market conditions are not yet fully established. Its support helps reduce risks, generate evidence, and facilitate connections among producers, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem actors, laying the groundwork for these initiatives to grow and attract new financing opportunities. This project is supported by The Amazon Bioeconomy Fund, financed by the Green Climate Fund, as part of an effort to mobilize resources toward solutions that strengthen productivity, resilience, and economic development in the region.

In line with the IDB Group’s approach, this initiative contributes to advancing solutions that generate economic impact and expand opportunities by integrating innovation, local knowledge, and market access in high-potential sectors.