Necesidades biotecnológicas de los potencialesagrícolas del departamento de Cundinamarca para eluso de las microfinanzas

The new trend in the agricultural sector is focused on improving food quality, innovating production processes, and developing strategies or technical advances to reduce pests, avoiding the use of toxic products that could compromise consumer health. This sector faces numerous challenges that affect both production and long-term sustainability, such as climate change, the scarcity of natural resources and the need to increase productivity to feed a continuously growing population. Biotechnology applied to the agricultural sector offers innovative and sustainable solutions. It enables the develop of crops resistant to diseases and adverse climatic conditions, improves food quality and yield, and reduces environmental impact through more efficient and less invasive practices. Likewise, it facilitates farmers’ adaptation to environmental and economic changes, promoting food security and economic stability in rural communities. Strengthening research and development in this field increases the agricultural sector’s capacity to address current and future challenges in a sustainable and equitable manner. However, biotechnological development requires funding sources. One of the main weaknesses of the agricultural sector lies in the fact that only large producers have easy access to traditional banking financing. In contrast, small and medium-sized producers face difficulties in accessing credit; making it essential to turn to non-traditional banking products in order to meet the new demands of the agricultural market. The objective of this research is to determine the biotechnological needs of the agricultural sector in the department of Cundinamarca, which—due to their financial characteristics—are considered potential users of non-traditional banking or microfinance products. To this end, a literature review will be conducted using databases such as EBSCO, ProQuest, and SciELO, to identify biotechnological needs in agricultural activities linked to the productive systems of sugarcane, potatoes, avocado, coffee, cocoa and plantains, which—due to their characteristics—represent a potential de-mand for microcredit products. In conclusion, this study enables microfinance institutions to identify agricultural activities in which they can invest. It also guides these institutions in designing services that meet the needs of these sectors, thereby contributing to the national growth and development.