| Sumario: | Acrocomia ssp. is a native palm tree in Latin America which grows wildly and produces rich oil-bearing fruits traditionally used as food and fodder. Oils from pulp and kernel have applications in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and bioenergy sectors. Husk, endocarp and pressed cakes are by-products with manifold applications. This multipurpose characteristic of Acrocomia suits the concept of bioeconomy. Agronomic aspects, cultivation, breeding, crop management and further applications are progressively studied. Paraguay is a natural habitat of Acrocomia, which gained economic importance by mid of the 20th century with the emergence of vegetable oil industry. It is considered as an alternative crop to diversify income sources for peasant and smallholder family farmers. They represent 90% of farms in Paraguay and increasingly face multiple challenges associated to agribusiness activities. Using the approach of biomass value web, this research aims to analyse the existing Acrocomia value chains in Paraguay, identifying opportunities and constraints for inclusive upgrading. Complementary, a bottom-up Acrocomia initiative in the region of San Pedro del Paraná (Itapúa) is studied, which focus on small-scale cultivation and processing of Acrocomia fruits.
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