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

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.

IICA recognizes Chile’s Macarena Valdés and Marco Aceituno as “Leaders of Rurality” for their creation of a self-sustainable model farm

The couple established an agroecological farm with an integrated system that includes the recycling of water. They produce food for personal consumption and surplus supplies are traded with neighbors.

José Muñoz, an educator and promoter of organic agriculture in northern Argentina, is awarded the title of “Leader of Rurality” by IICA

In recent years, Muñoz has become a promoter of organic agriculture, which he sees as a way to take advantage of the environmentally friendly practices and biological inputs that farmers already use.

Julio César Delgado, an ornamental flower grower from Colombia and promotor of sustainable production, is recognized by IICA as a “Leader of Rurality”

Delgado lives in the municipality of San Antonio del Tequendama, located 50 kilometers from the Colombian capital of Bogotá, where the nursery industry is an important economic activity with over 100 establishments.

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