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

Rosamund Benn, a coconut oil producer who encourages other rural women in Guyana to process and market their crops, recognized as a Leader of Rurality of the Americas by IICA

Benn will receive the “Soul of Rurality” award, which is part of an initiative to recognize the men and women who are leaving their mark and making a difference in the rural areas of the Americas.

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.

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