Irene Buele, David Zuniga and Luis Tobar
The principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (RAI) aim to support food security, nutrition, and the improvement of sustainable livelihoods for smallholders in a responsible and environmentally friendly way. This article analyzes the inclusion of RAI principles in the projects of the Politécnica Salesiana University, Cuenca, in Ecuador, which is complemented with the calculation of the Social Return on Investment (SROI). Among the results, principle 4 was observed as the most applied principle since it enhances the participation and empowerment of young people. The 16 projects applied based on this principle had a total of 24,723 beneficiaries. The key factor of these projects was the integration of young people. It was evidenced how young people, assertively took the leadership, and managed the projects to strengthen human and social development in communities and vulnerable areas. The NPV calculated for the projects under principle 4 showed an NPV of $5,039.15, and an SROI of 24.19. The overall result of the NPV of all university projects was $ 10,957.39 and an SROI of 38.38.