The participants were designated by IICA as Leaders of Rurality in 2021, in recognition of their capacity to set positive examples for the rural areas of the region in which they live.
Ir Arriba
Leaders Of Rurality
The IICA will recognize rural leaders in the Americas, under an initiative to pay tribute to men and women who are leaving their mark and making a difference in rural communities of our hemisphere.
This award pays tribute to those who are playing a unique dual role: guaranteeing food and nutritional security, by producing under all circumstances, as well as protecting the biodiversity of the planet. It will also emphasize their capacity to be positive role models in rural areas of the region.
Leaders of Rurality of the Americas shared their dreams and described their daily efforts to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable future for their communities
Colombian cocoa farmer and defender of rural women’s rights Liliana Jiménez Molina recognized by IICA as a “Leader of Rurality”
Through her agricultural work, Liliana seeks to make women protagonists in Colombia's vast rural areas.
American farmer to receive IICA “Leaders of Rurality” award for innovative initiatives linking education and agriculture
Phillip “Chip” Councell will receive the award for his innovative initiatives that work to raise awareness about the importance of agriculture and how it relates to food security and environmental protection.
Salvadoran coffee producer and “Cup of Excellence 2021” winner Ever Díaz to receive IICA’s “Leaders of Rurality” award
Ever Díaz was born into a farming family in western El Salvador and took an interest in coffee as a teenager. His ten-hectare farm supports five other rural families and has become a benchmark of the country’s goal to recover its regional leadership as a coffee producing nation.
Argentine teacher to receive IICA Leaders of Rurality award for broadcasting classes over the radio during pandemic
Bruno lives in San Roque, a small city in the province of Corrientes in northeastern Argentina, where he advocates that formal education should train young people in food production methods, along with improving education in rural areas to generate opportunities for individual and collective development to help halt migration to the cities.
Mexican agronomist Gabriela Lucas Deecke to receive IICA award for efforts to improve the quality of life of vulnerable rural populations
In 2011 Gabriela knew she wanted to devote her life to training family farmers on how to produce abundant, healthy and nutritious foods for their families and communities. As a result, she founded the CIASPE, an organization aimed at strengthening the self-management capabilities and resilience of small-scale farmers—and particularly female leaders.