My name is Oliver Ac Pangán. I am collaborating with Michael Boland, Ph.D., of the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. We develop case studies of agricultural cooperatives of small cocoa producers in the northern region of Guatemala. In order to better understand the subject, I receive a class on cooperative management.

My internship also includes working with the QUALITECH research company. I run laboratory tests to encapsulate nutrients using QMIN technology. This technology proved to increase the compatibility between fertilizer solutions by increasing the efficiency of nutrient absorption in plants by 15%. I also work with Ogbarebi Abraham, Ph.D., running production tests, replacing castro oil with African palm oil. The goal is that animal food products can be exported without any restriction, currently only the United States uses them.

I feel very grateful for the opportunity to learn about these agricultural issues and I am putting my best effort into making the most of this interesting experience.