Few are the individuals who are not acquainted with a market in Peru, who have not experienced the scents of spices permeating the air, or who do not have a "casera" to assist them in finding the best seasonal fruits and vegetables. However, these essential spaces for the population have not managed to close their technological gap of approximately 60 years, as quantified by Peru's FabLabs network after the pandemic. Although COVID-19 represented an economic impact that endangered the livelihoods of 300,000 market trader families, it also forced a shift in the social dynamics of a space characterized by proximity and daily interactions between sellers and customers. 

It is in the year 2020, amidst a challenging, uncertain, and distanced context, that Innova tu Mercado (Innovate Your Market) was born, a platform of public and private actors aimed at accelerating the digital transformation of market traders across the country. This platform, which includes not only UNDP but also public institutions, academia, financial institutions, and civil associations, initiated the transformation in two markets in Lima: the Gran Mariscal Ramón Castilla and the Real Plaza Apromec - Ate Vitarte. 

This article was originally published at: https://www.undp.org/es/peru/innova-tu-mercado-soluciones-digitales-para-mercados-de-abasto-primera-parte