Ceres is a city of 15,800 inhabitants (Census 2022) whose main economic activity is agriculture and livestock. Located in the northwest of the Province of Santa Fe in Argentina, it is the most populated city in the department of San Cristóbal. Access to housing is a growing problem in Ceres and the province. 34.5% of the population of the province of Santa Fe does not own their own home (INDEC, Census 2022). There are 1,000 families who want to have access to housing in Ceres and only 100 have their own land (RUIP, 2022). Traditional construction systems do not represent an option due to the high construction costs in relation to the income of low and middle-income households, including upper middle-income households. This is aggravated by the low possibilities of accessing credit for housing construction and the purchase of lots due to Argentina's macroeconomic context. Also, there is a shortage of lots for sale in Ceres, so their prices are high.

Bioconstruction, made with low environmental impact materials, requires less technical qualification, making self-construction possible and lowering costs. Likewise, due to its materials, it is more efficient in the use of energy by requiring less heating in winter and cooling in summer, also lowering costs once the house is built. Additionally, its environments allow for healthier breathing, preserving the health of the members of the household. Furthermore, in Ceres there are favorable conditions for Bioconstruction. The climate is semi-arid with a rainfall of 800 mm per year, flat terrain, and no earthquakes. As of 2023, the city has three Bioconstruction entrepreneurs who have self-built their homes and the municipality has built a warehouse in the animal shelter and a room in the Urban Vegetable Garden.

Within the framework of AYNI's Local Innovators program, prototyping activities were carried out which led to favorable conclusions to promote bioconstruction: i) There is no need for a special housing prototype, but to replicate socially accepted construction characteristics. ii) The new generations are much more open to bioconstruction. iii) There is a demand from some clients and architects, but they do not find specialized labor. iv) There are 32 families interested in having their house through bioconstruction and they do not know how to do it.

This leads to the conclusion that there is enough demand for a bioconstruction project and to think, in the words of members of the Red de Cambio, that "People see the dream of home ownership as unattainable and bioconstruction is an opportunity to build their house with the resources they have at hand and with low construction costs" (Pipi Garzón, architect of a local traditional construction company, Cermaco) and "Bioconstruction helps you to believe that home ownership is possible" (Ulises Marozzi, entrepreneur in bioconstruction and bioconstruction). Entrepreneur in Bioconstruction and Undersecretary of Local Development of the Municipality of Ceres).

• Diagnosis of the construction ecosystem: Conduct a diagnosis of the local construction system, of those registered in the RUIP, of the housing conditions and needs of people interested in building housing. disseminate the results of the diagnosis
• Bioconstruction training: Provide a six-monthly course that includes 2 quarterly masterclasses and monthly practical sessions for masons, architects and those who want to build their own homes.
• Bioconstruction dissemination campaign: Make alliances with institutions to strengthen the program of advice, training, education and dissemination of Bioconstruction in a collaborative and articulated way.
• Construction of prototypes: To build one or several prototypes of public buildings using the bioconstruction technique, to be defined between a classroom, SUM, kitchen and/or public bathroom according to the requirements of the requesting municipal area.
• Bioconstruction advisory program: Identify the needs for bioconstruction advice to design and implement a follow-up program for the construction or extension of housing for the students of the course/graduates.

• 1 diagnosis of the current construction system (suppliers, skilled labor, potential beneficiaries, others).
• 500 hours of training, 100 people trained, 10 specialized masons and 5 specialized architects.
• 50 participants in volunteer days and 500 visits to the prototypes of bioconstructed public buildings.
• 10 agreements with educational institutions, with neighboring municipalities, with entities with experience in bioconstruction and/or alternative construction models and with the Provincial Government to build 10 houses.
• 15 dissemination activities
•  4 sample prototypes of bio-constructed public buildings
• 20 interviews for support and advice
• 4 self-built homes and 8 self-built extensions

Expected impact:

• Reach 100 people registered in a labor pool in bioconstruction in 3 to 5 years, starting from a base of 8 specialists.
• To increase to 20% the number of households that opt for bioconstruction in 10 years, starting from the building permits.
• Double the number of households accompanied annually in their self-construction, with at least 5 extended homes and 2 new homes in 3 years.

• Government of the City of Ceres, Secretaries of Human Development, Public Works and Finance,
• Secretaría de Hábitat, Urbanismo y Vivienda del Gobierno de la Provincia de Santa Fé (Secretariat of Habitat, Urbanism and Housing of the Government of the Province of Santa Fé).
• Local supplier companies (José Caby and Cermaco SRL).
• Association for Regional Development (Ceres)

• Ulises Marozzi. Undersecretary of Local Development. Mail: desarrollolocal@ceres.gob.ar
• Luciano Barreto. Leader and entrepreneur in Bioconstruction. Mail: biopionerosceres@gmail.com