Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

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.

References​

Marilyn Hershey, a rural leader who strives to be a voice for U.S. dairy farmers, is named IICA Leader of Rurality of the Americas

Hershey is the first woman to have been appointed to her current position as Chair of Dairy Management Inc., the association of United States dairy farmers that has spearheaded a promotional, research and educational program on the sector to encourage greater milk consumption in the country. It is funded by farmers and the industry.

Five Argentinians, whose daily efforts are improving the welfare of their rural communities, are awarded the title IICA Leaders of Rurality of the Americas

The awardees were Patricia Gorza, Andrea Izzo Capella and Milagros Paulón, from central Argentina’s La Pampa region—considered one of the world’s primary food producing areas—along with José Muñoz and Alina Ruiz, who live and work in northern Argentina.

IICA names Bernarda Salazar and Paulina Carrasco, rural Chileans with a passion for food production, as Leaders of Rurality of the Americasentos, reciben premio del IICA como Líderes de la Ruralidad de las Américas

The Leaders of Rurality award pays tribute to those who are playing a unique dual role: guaranteeing food and nutrition security, by producing under all circumstances, as well as protecting the biodiversity of the planet. It also emphasizes their capacity to be positive role models in rural areas of the region.

Krysta Harden, President of the U.S. Dairy Export Council and promoter of a central role for women in the agrifood industry, receives recognition from IICA as a Leader of Rurality in the America

Harden’s passion for agriculture started when she was a girl, growing up on her family’s peanut farm in the southern state of Georgia. She has come a long way since then in private sector work and public service, taking her to the highest levels of decision-making and responsibility. For instance, she was Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for three years.

Eodora Méndez, tireless advocate for the well-being of Honduran small farmers, is recognized as an IICA “Leader of Rurality”

Méndez is a member of the Lenca indigenous community and was raised in a family of 13 siblings. The family earned their living by cultivating basic grains and vegetables. From a tender age, Eodora realized that family farmers could only aspire to a better quality of life through unity, cooperation, training and the search for direct sales opportunities.

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