In western Panama, in the mountainous Ngäbe-Buglé region, Indigenous Ngäbe settlements remain remote from major cities. The terrain shapes the rhythm of life no less than the economy does. Homes and fields are scattered across the slopes, and familiar routes often run along trails where motor transport gives way to walking and horseback travel. The tropical climate adds unpredictability. A clear morning can turn into a downpour within hours, and such a change matters not only for agricultural work. The return trip can stretch to 4 hours when the entire route has to be walked.
The region’s vulnerability is made up of several factors that reinforce one another. The key constraints cited by members of local associations are as follows: poor accessibility of villages and unpaved roads that are washed out by heavy rains and become impassable; limited access to basic services during periods when links with the outside world are hampered; dependence on subsistence farming and livestock raising, where incomes are sensitive to weather and market conditions; the digital divide, a weak signal, and internet outages, especially during rains.
A partial response to these challenges in Ngäbe-Buglé is linked to a joint initiative by FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and the People’s Republic of China within the framework of South-South cooperation. It is designed to support rural sources of income and small and medium-scale producers in Panama and 11 other countries in the region, with the set of solutions in each country tailored to local conditions. On the ground, the project relied on four producer organizations from Ngäbe-Buglé.
Among the participants, Juan Sedeño, 20, and Milka Rodríguez, 23, stood out in particular. Both represent the Ngäbe people, help their families with agricultural work, and study in the bilingual intercultural education program at the Autonomous University of Indigenous Peoples (UAPI). Every Friday, Juan and Milka travel to the campus in Llano Tugrí and stay there until Sunday, after which they return to their communities of Cerro Tula and Cerro Gavilán.
Juan specialized in digital agriculture, and Milka in the digitalization of rural areas, and their visit included not only consultations but also joint work with local specialists. The experts shared experience and provided training for FAO technicians and government specialists, and also met with community members. This format makes it possible to transfer practical skills faster, but leaves open the question of long-term sustainability if technical support and equipment updates are not anchored within local institutions.
The Nuestra Señora del Camino Foundation and Panama’s Institute of Agricultural Innovation (IDIAP) played an important role in delivering the training and implementing solutions. Juan and Milka also pass skills on to other young people and help sort out basic technical problems when the connection is unstable or a device needs configuration, and this gradually builds local competence, without which the technology remains alien and silent.
Five weeks of classes were enough to systematize and expand their skills. According to the organizers, both participants quickly became noticeable, helped other participants, and assisted the instructor, combining classes with everyday responsibilities. After that, their role went beyond the classroom. At the invitation of FAO IT specialist Archimedes Perez, they helped install antennas and other equipment, learned to configure devices, and troubleshoot common errors. During the design period, the team was strengthened by two experts sent by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
To check internet quality, several tests are usually used. The least demanding is browsing websites in a browser. To check the ability to communicate via video calls, which is necessary for study and telemedicine, tests are conducted. To test connection stability, demanding activities such as mobile online games and apps are used. Popular arcade-style crash games such as Aviatrix, Lucky Jet, Aviator, JetX have some of the highest requirements for signal stability. This applies to both browser versions and mobile apps. The internet is needed not only to enable Aviatrix game download, but also for gameplay, with the need for continuous communication with the server.
The program included the internet, social media, work-related software, the use of tablets and laptops, as well as basic techniques of digital communication for the cooperative’s needs. The goal of involving young people from each community is for them to provide first-line support for their associations. The practical effect can be seen in several changes that participants associate with the emergence of new tools: speeding up organizational work in associations through digital procedures and communication; finding new sales channels through pages on social media; access to online data on agronomic practices, weather forecasts, and market information for decisions on crops and sales.
Milka has already sold handicrafts, grain, and legumes to buyers inside and outside the community through digital channels. For ethnic communities, the internet is an opportunity to preserve their identity and at the same time be part of the broader global community. Perez described this logic as follows: “Young people are the renewal of communities.”
