Sustainable agriculture and food security
At the IAF, we believe that sustainable agriculture and food security are key development factors. Our investment in these areas builds stronger local economies, improves natural resource management, and promotes sustainable local development.
We respond to proposals from grassroots organizations by offering small grants that lead to significant outcomes across Latin America and the Caribbean. Through their development projects, these community partners are able to increase food security, improve livelihoods, provide more opportunities for families to generate income, and increase resilience to environmental challenges. By supporting these projects and strengthening ecological systems, communities are able to utilize natural resources sustainably. They address root causes of migration by reducing push factors and giving community members opportunities to thrive.
Our ultimate goal is to strengthen vibrant, environmentally sound communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Talk about community-led development!
Recent News and Stories
Common(s) Knowledge: Grassroots Resource Governance
By sustainably harvesting forests, Mexican community organizations are stemming deforestation and ensuring opportunities for all people to thrive in their home communities.
Getting the Ball Rolling: Argentina’s Youth-Led Citizenship-Through-Soccer Program
Few would have imagined in the early days that former IAF grantee partner Fundación Defensores del Chaco would become a youth-led powerhouse mobilizing entire towns to advocate for themselves. But what started as a street soccer team became a space where young people and their communities could bring their problems and find solutions together.
Not Counting Chickens: Insights on Community-Led Development from Ramón Daubón
"Government is not separate from the people. “Government” is us. But the government doesn’t necessarily automatically carry out the will of the people. It responds to scrutiny. It is the responsibility of every citizen to know what leaders are doing," said Ramón Daubón, former IAF Vice President for Programs, in our recent conversation.