Soul of Rurality

IICA’s recognition of the Leaders of Rurality of the Americas is part of an initiative that seeks to turn the spotlight on men and women who are leaving their mark and making a difference in the rural areas of Latin America and the Caribbean.

It pays tribute to those who play an unparalleled dual role: as guarantors of food and nutritional security and as caretakers of the planet’s biodiversity. It also emphasizes their capacity to drive positive changes in the rural areas of the region. For all these reasons, these individuals are the Soul of Rurality.

Leaders of Rurality of the Americas

Novella Payne, a producer and agro-processor dedicated to agriculture, rural communities, and local gastronomy in Antigua and Barbuda, recognized by IICA as a Leader of Rurality of the Americas

Novella Payne is the founder of the company Granma Aki, and she chaired the Antigua and Barbuda Rural Women Producers Association for six years, where she was known as the “bulldozer woman”, capable of opening doors and securing support for her group.

Gessyane Ribeiro, a young engineer who is rallying the strength of women in the Brazilian countryside, recognized by IICA as a Leader of Rurality of the Americas

Gessyane serves as Technical Coordinator of the Energia das Mulheres da Terra project, which brings together 42 women farmers’ organizations and strengthens family farming by promoting sustainable agroecological practices and agricultural innovation.

Nidia González, who champions the empowerment of women farmers in Paraguay and strives to raise living standards in her community, has now been recognized as an IICA Leader of Rurality of the Americas

Nidia is President of the Comité de Santo Domingo, a group that seeks to improve the income and standard of living of the entire community.

Erick Geovany Ac Tot, a cocoa entrepreneur who promotes high-quality cocoa and the preservation of ancestral trees in Guatemala, is named an IICA Leader of Rurality

Erick Geovany Ac Tot—a prominent Guatemalan cocoa entrepreneur who has been assisting small farmer organizations, promoting high-quality cocoa production and preserving heirloom trees for years, in addition to being a cocoa taster—has been named a Leader of Rurality of the Americas by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

Eliane Faria de Souza, a fisherwoman from Northeastern Brazil combining old traditions with innovative ideas to protect the environment, is named an IICA Leader of Rurality of the Americas

Eliane works with other women in the region to transform polluting waste substances into organic fertilizer.

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