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.

Canada

June 10, 2022

Stratégies qui favorisent à la fois les résultats en matière de développement

Canada

April 26, 2022

Production bovine durable dans les Amériques – Session 2: Comment le bétail et la viande bovine peuvent apporter des solutions au changement climatique depuis les Amériques

Guatemala

February 20, 2025

Ms. Nadine Cabana, Global Affairs Canada, visits Finca El Trapiche in Aldea el Terrero, Zacapa Guatemala to learn about the progress in the implementation of the project “TeleGan, Sustainability and Innovation in Livestock”

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Iowan producers and Secretary of Agriculture touring Central America visited IICA Headquarters to learn about the Institute’s work in biotechnology and biofuels

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José

February 17, 2025

Christopher Nesbitt, a Belizean farmer who has demonstrated the potential of agro-silvopastoral systems for production and conservation, is recognized by IICA as a Leader of Rurality of the Americas  

Nesbitt will receive the "Soul of Rurality" award, part of an initiative by the specialized agency for agricultural and rural development to recognize the work of men and women who leave a lasting impact and make a difference in the countryside of the Americas – a region that is essential for global food and nutritional security and environmental sustainability. 

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins