OPSAa

+506 2216 0222 opsaa@iica.int

Blog IICA

Dimension - Beneficiaries

Women

DID YOU KNOW?

Food price increase
The price of basic foodstuffs increased by 6.1% after two months of blockade in Hormuz (INFOBAE, 2026).
Barriers for agrifood companies.
83% of firms finance their investments primarily with their own resources.
Peru: 2015 El Niño raised pesticide exposure risk
The study maps 1,793 of 1,874 Peruvian districts (95.7%), with moderate-to-high risk zones covering over one-third of the national territory, indicating ENSO events amplify pesticide dispersal. (Honles,J. et al, 2026)

Women

Women as beneficiaries of policy: Inclusion of women as recipients of public policies, ensuring equity, access to resources, and improvement of their living conditions.

Initiatives Policy frameworks Good practices Evidences Resources Events Indicators

Impact evaluation of the AGROIDEAS iniciative

The report analyzes the effects of AGROIDEAS interventions on agricultural organizations and family producers across the country, assessing changes in income, productivity, technology adoption, asset access, and organizational strengthening. The findings show improvements in production and self-employment income, particularly in value chains such as coffee and guinea pigs, as well as advances in the economic participation of rural women. At the same time, persistent gaps are identified in commercial linkages, financial sustainability, and management capacities, guiding recommendations to enhance the program’s impact.

Resource type:Technical report

20x20 Initiative: Progress and Strategy to 2030

This policy brief presents a synthesis of the progress achieved by the 20x20 Initiative during its first decade and outlines the 2024–2030 Strategy to accelerate the restoration of degraded landscapes and ecosystems in Latin America and the Caribbean. It includes the regional context, associated international commitments, the strategic pillars (policy, knowledge, private financing, and social and gender equity), and the priorities to strengthen governance, investment, and technical capacity toward 2030.

Resource type:Policy brief

Disasters of natural origin, gender equality and GDP growth: a co-integration analysis for Latin America and the Caribbean

Natural disasters, increasingly frequent and severe, not only cause material and economic damage but also exacerbate pre-existing social inequalities, especially those affecting women and vulnerable groups. The objective of this study is to analyse the dynamic relations between disasters of natural origin (NDs), gross domestic product per capita (GDP) and the gender inequality index (GII) in Latin American and Caribbean countries over the period 2000–2021 using fully modified least squares (FMOLS) estimation of panel models with non-stationary and co-integrated variables. We aim to analyse the short- and long-term relations between variables as well as their causality and dynamics to shed light on these interconnected relations and their implications for the region. A significant bidirectional relation between NDs and gender inequality is identified: disasters exacerbate inequality, disproportionately affecting women, while higher levels of inequality increase vulnerability to such events. Additionally, there is evidence of a unidirectional relation between economic growth and GII. In several Latin American and Caribbean countries, the speed of adjustment indicates that gender inequality tends to persist or even worsen. These findings underscore the importance of addressing gender inequality as a critical element in disaster management and sustainable economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean. An approach that recognizes and addresses gender disparities can facilitate a more inclusive and effective recovery from disasters.

Resource type:Scientific article

Food price increase

The price of basic foodstuffs increased by 6.1% after two months of blockade in Hormuz (INFOBAE, 2026).

Barriers for agrifood companies.

83% of firms finance their investments primarily with their own resources.

Peru: 2015 El Niño raised pesticide exposure risk

The study maps 1,793 of 1,874 Peruvian districts (95.7%), with moderate-to-high risk zones covering over one-third of the national territory, indicating ENSO events amplify pesticide dispersal. (Honles,J. et al, 2026)

Trinational Project “Raíces”: Participatory Improvement of Genetic Resources and Seed Systems for Regenerative Agriculture

The trinational “Raíces” project aims to strengthen agrobiodiversity and seed systems in family farming across Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia through the participatory improvement of genetic resources. The initiative integrates technical knowledge with local practices to conserve, reproduce, and adapt native and traditional crop varieties to changing climatic conditions. The project promotes the establishment of community seed banks and the strengthening of local networks, alongside training in agroecological practices. In doing so, it enhances productive resilience, crop diversity, and food security among small-scale farmers, with a particular focus on the inclusion of women, youth, and Indigenous communities.

Strengthening Assets, Markets and Policies for Rural Development in the Highlands and High Rainforest Areas Project (PSSA)

The initiative aimed to reduce rural poverty in the highland and high rainforest areas of Peru by strengthening the productive, human, social, and natural assets of organized smallholder farmers. The project supported the formation and consolidation of rural producer organizations to implement co-financed business plans, combined with technical assistance, training, and competitive funding mechanisms. It also promoted sustainable territorial management and strengthened local government capacities, enhancing market access, financial inclusion, and income generation among vulnerable rural populations.

Sustainable artisanal fisheries and bio-businesses for food security with market access in the Peru–Colombia Border Integration Zone

Sustainable artisanal fisheries and bio-businesses for food security with market access in the Peru–Colombia Border Integration Zone is a binational technical cooperation initiative in the Putumayo River basin aimed at strengthening sustainable artisanal fishing and food security. It promotes cross-border governance through a binational roundtable, diagnostics and monitoring campaigns focused on water quality and fish species of commercial interest. It supports fisheries value-chain bio-businesses through awareness and technical training, financial education, technical assistance, formulation of business models and non-reimbursable equipment support, plus binational fairs and strategic commercial alliances. It also includes community food security plans, training in good food practices, field schools and collective solutions for access to safe water such as collection, filtration and storage. The initiative is implemented in Peru and Colombia over 24 months, financed by the Colombia–Peru Border Integration Zone Development Fund, with a required start in September 2025.

39th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC39)

High-level official forum held in Brasilia from March 2 to 6, 2026, where the 33 Member States of Latin America and the Caribbean —represented by Heads of State, Ministers of Agriculture, and other key actors— define the strategic priorities and guidelines that will shape FAO's work during the 2026–2027 biennium. The conference articulates four regional priorities: efficient, inclusive, and sustainable production; ending hunger and achieving food security; sustainable natural resource management and climate change adaptation; and reducing inequalities and poverty. The event also included the regional launch of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 and the signing of strategic cooperation agreements.

Integrated Rurality Management Strategy “Quito Rural” – Rural Youth

The Integrated Rurality Management Strategy (EGIR) of the Metropolitan District of Quito is a programmatic framework that guides investment, territorial governance, and intersectoral coordination to strengthen sustainable rural development. It includes a specific axis aimed at improving retention and participation of rural youth, addressing gaps in education, employment, cultural identity and migration, and outlining policies to ensure economic and social opportunities for rural young people.

Law 2539 Of 2025: Inclusion Of Rural Youth In The National System Of Agrarian Reform And Rural Development

Law 2539 of 2025 amends Law 160 of 1994 and Decree Law 902 of 2017 to explicitly include rural youth in the National System of Agrarian Reform and Rural Development. The law guarantees and prioritizes their progressive access to land, to productive projects aligned with their life plans, to sustainable rural productive activities, academic and technical training, financing mechanisms and associativity. It also secures their participation in territorial governance bodies, creates a specific budget tracer for rural youth, promotes innovation, the use of ICTs, cultural rootedness and special measures for young people who are victims of armed conflict, thereby contributing to comprehensive rural reform with a territorial, generational and ethnic approach.

Strengthening Assets, Markets and Policies for Rural Development in the Highlands and High Rainforest Areas Project (PSSA)

Sustainable artisanal fisheries and bio-businesses for food security with market access in the Peru–Colombia Border Integration Zone

Sustainable and Resilient Agroforestry

This initiative is a Specific Investment Loan operation (HO-L1259) in Honduras, to be executed by ICF, aimed at conserving and restoring forest cover and associated ecosystem services in prioritized areas. Its overall objective is to conserve and restore forest cover, with specific objectives to: (i) increase adoption of forest and agroforestry practices (AFS/SPS) that expand forest cover, (ii) diversify livelihoods in community forestry, and (iii) strengthen ICF’s institutional capacity for forest conservation and management. The project targets selected municipalities in Olancho, Yoro, Atlántida, Colón and El Paraíso, prioritized through environmental and social criteria related to restoration, hydrology and climate vulnerability, among others. The components include: (I) implementation of agroforestry and silvopastoral systems through technical assistance and technology packages, (II) community forest management via business plans, integrated technical assistance and knowledge exchanges, and (III) institutional strengthening of ICF (forest registry/monitoring, wildfire risk prevention/management, regulatory updates, and land tenure-related aspects). Total financing is US$25 million (60% regular and 40% concessional ordinary capital), with Category B environmental and social classification and Substantial E&S risk, supported by required E&S management instruments (ESA/ESMP/SEP) and applicable Environmental and Social Performance Standards.