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

Cooperative member Chito Quintero, a role model for peasant and indigenous communities in Panama, recognized by IICA as a “Leader of Rurality”

Quintero, who forms part of the Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous community, lost his mother at the age of 6 and had to work from an early age to support his siblings. He became a union leader shortly after becoming a banana farmer, and in 1991, he co-founded the banana cooperative Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples Bananera del Atlántico (COOBANA), which currently has 220 members and more than 600 workers.

IICA recognizes Brazilian Francisca Neri as a “Leader of Rurality” for inspiring young people and helping to revolutionize sheep and goat farming in a municipality in northeast Brazil

The daughter of rural farmers from Betânia, a municipality in the state of Piauí, Francisca is now 25 and is Secretary of Family Farming, a position from which she promotes associativism and cooperativism to improve income and quality of life for small-sized farmers.

Rosalina Jarolin recognized as “Leader of Rurality” by IICA for her work to improve the quality of life of Paraguayan family farmers

The “Soul of Rurality” award recognizes her efforts to raise awareness among farmers of the municipality of Itá of the importance of associative undertakings as a means of achieving a better quality of life.

Deon Gibson of the Bahamas is recognized by IICA as a “Leader of Rurality” for his endeavors to reduce dependence on food imports in the Caribbean

Gibson was not born into a farming family, but he understood from a young age that The Bahamas needed to increase local food production to become stronger as a country.

IICA names Gillian Goddard a “Leader of Rurality” for her work to empower small farmers in Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean islands

Goddard opened Trinidad and Tobago’s first organic food store and founded the Alliance of Rural Communities – a non-profit that seeks to enlighten farmers about the value of natural resources, ensure their role in public policy development and facilitate their access to the requisite financial tools to boost their production and income.

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