TecnoManí – Solutions to move forward
The TecnoManí project promotes technological innovation and better production processes across the peanut value chain, with the goal of strengthening the sector's competitiveness in the face of domestic and international market challenges.
Summary
The Cluster Maní de Córdoba, represented by the Cámara Argentina del Maní, ran TecnoManí, an open innovation program designed to connect the peanut industry with the province's tech ecosystem and generate concrete solutions to its production "pain points." The centerpiece was an in-person event in Río Cuarto in November 2025 (Espacio Muñiz, capacity 400), but the event was not an end in itself: it was the vehicle for launching a sustained pipeline of post-event technology projects.
The agenda mapped five major groups of real industry challenges: (1) land access, soil resources and sustainability (carbon capture, degradation, rotation); (2) machinery, contractors and field operations (precision weeding technologies, yield monitors for peanuts, site-specific farming, digging robots); (3) digital transformation and barriers to AI; (4) Industry 4.0 processes (autonomous quality control, shelling/blanching, plant safety, fire-risk reduction, VR for training); (5) ocean freight (preventing condensation in containers, predictive logistics, packaging optimization).
The call brought together four attendee profiles, with color-coded badges to make matching easier: peanut companies (120), startups and researchers (180), industry suppliers (50), and public officials plus investment funds (50). The day was split into two blocks (morning: primary production; afternoon: processing, marketing and logistics), with challenge presentations, targeted networking and a keynote on open innovation. Follow-up activities included 1:1 workshops between companies with challenges and solution providers, and the creation of technical working groups for each specific problem.
Universities were brought in through the Foro de Rectores and the Red Científico Tecnológica del Maní. Target: launch at least 6 technology development projects and share the results with 80% of the cluster within 24 months. 807,000 (ARS 12.15M non-refundable grant + ARS 23.65M actual co-funding).
Main objective
Increase the efficiency of Córdoba's peanut production cycle and spur the development of advanced technology solutions by building structured links between companies in the peanut cluster and the province's innovation ecosystem (startups, researchers, accelerators, investment funds); validating and prioritizing the industry's real problems; building a portfolio of project ideas with incubation and funding potential; and working with universities and accelerators to move applied technology solutions forward.
Duration:
September 2025 to December 2025 (4 months)
Status:
Completed
Cluster del Maní
A strategic regional economy that integrates production, processing and exports in a highly coordinated chain, with Córdoba accounting for most of Argentina's peanuts and a strong export profile (around 95% of production, 2014 data) to more than a hundred destinations.