Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Territorial Development and Family Farming

The program will focus on collaboration with governments and social, economic and entrepreneurial family farming (FF) cooperatives, with a view to promoting the design and application of public policies aimed at fostering systemic competitiveness in rural areas, mid-sized cities, production units and businesses. The program will also seek to integrate various concepts into cooperation activities, such as the notion of institutional quality, public investment policies and the promotion of private investment and associative efforts.

To this end, the program will continue to contribute to the design and implementation of policies, programs and projects to facilitate the inclusion of FF production in agrifood systems, as well the development of a new generation of public policies. There will be a focus on associative strategies that facilitate agricultural competitiveness, ecosystem sustainability, mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, the reduction of depopulation and migration, and coordination and investment in public and private enterprises in rural areas. The program will work with countries to:

  • Promote and support the development of a new generation of public FF policies that drive the development of rural territories and agrifood systems. The aim is to ensure the inclusion of family farming production units and to increase their supply and demand capacity, through their promotion and inclusion in effective and efficient cooperative enterprises, by way of public-private partnerships.
  • Facilitate the social and economic inclusion of FF in agrifood systems, through technical cooperation activities.
  • Contribute to enhancing FF competitiveness in rural areas and agrifood systems, by developing associative capacities, with a focus on promoting cooperative efforts.
  • Spearhead actions to strengthen the capacities of regional policy integration organizations and institutions to stimulate discourse on territorial development- and FF-related public policies.

Specialist

Program Manager

 

Technical team

 

Advisory team

  • Álvaro Ramos, Uruguay
  • José Emilio Guerrero, Spain

Contact us

Mario León Frutos

Program manager

mario.leon@iica.int

Technical Cooperation Direction

dct@iica.int

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Multimedia

Explore our videos and discover IICA’s impact on agriculture and rural development throughout the region.

Headquarters, Sede Central

November 26, 2025

COP30. Day 10. Block 3

Headquarters, Sede Central

November 26, 2025

COP30. Day 10. Block 2

Gainesville, USA

February 27, 2026

University of Florida and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture Join Forces for Safe and Abundant Food in the Western Hemisphere

Key areas of focus include preventing agricultural threats, enhancing safe and nutritious food supply, and other long-term cooperation actions to improve agricultural health and prosperity for farmers and consumers.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Tena, Ecuador

February 26, 2026

IICA promotes sustainable productive development in Ecuador’s Amazon region

In collaboration with the Technical Secretariat of Ecuador’s Special Amazon Territory, the IICA Delegation in the South American country implemented the Innovando Amazonía project, which culminated with the 2026 Napu Marka Expo Fair held in the city of Tena, in the province of Napo.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Quito, Ecuador

February 23, 2026

IICA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Ecuador consolidate the country’s Agricultural Public Policy with a State vision through 2034

The policy document is comprised of ten sections that address productivity, quality and safety, market access, services and infrastructure, associative enterprises, environmental sustainability, risk management, financing and insurance, innovation, and education and technical assistance, with a specific focus on family farming.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins