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

Ecuadorian farmer, Lorena Valdez, who founded an association to improve the lives of Afro-descendant women, is named an IICA Leader of Rurality of the Americas

The work of Valdez and of AMATIF serves as a positive example for rural areas in the Americas. The association has already established a cocoa processing plant that produces chocolate and other by-products that are sold throughout the province and plans to expand to international markets.

Sonia Murillo, a promoter of fair trade and rural welfare in Costa Rica, is named Leader of Rurality by IICA

Murillo will receive the “Soul of Rurality” award, an initiative by the agency specialized in agricultural and rural development to pay tribute to men and women who are leaving their mark and making a difference in the rural communities of the Americas, a key region for food and nutrition security and the environmental sustainability of the planet.

IICA confers its “Leader of Rurality” award on Haydée Anccasi, promoter of Peruvian maca – a highly nutritious, age-old crop

Maca is an indigenous plant of Peru that dates back thousands of years. It has been called a “super food”, given that since the time of the Incas it has been highly valued and has multiple uses, from boosting fertility to fighting insomnia.

Juana García Palomares recognized as “Leader of Rurality” by IICA for her work supporting the organization and empowerment of rural women in Mexico

For 25 years, Juana has managed a wildlife conservation management unit in the southern state of Chiapas, where she spends her time raising animals and restoring the environment.

Gillian Flies, Canadian food producer and regenerative agriculture advocate, named as IICA “Leader of Rurality”

Flies was living in Toronto with her husband, Brent Preston, and their two small children when they decided to move to the countryside to establish a farm to cultivate the type of healthy food that they wanted to give to their children, while also contributing to environmental protection.

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