As WhyHunger celebrates 50 years of building a just, hunger-free world, we also honor FENSUAGRO (Federación Nacional Sindical Unitaria Agropecuaria), Colombia’s largest peasant organization, which is are also marking five decades of grassroots leadership for land reform, rural rights, and food sovereignty.
Made up of more than 80 grassroots organizations of farmers, educators, and workers, FENSUAGRO has led a decades-long struggle for dignity in the countryside. Through farmer-to-farmer education, agroecological production, and cooperative markets, the federation continues to show that a just and sustainable food system is possible when rural communities have the power to grow, share, and govern their own food.
Food Sovereignty in Action: The María Cano Agroecology Institute
In the hills of Viotá, just west of Bogota, the María Cano Agroecology Institute embodies that vision. A school and working farm, it is both a space of learning and a living example of food sovereignty in action. Here, students learn by doing; cultivating crops, making dairy products, and experimenting with ecological practices rooted in ancestral wisdom. The María Cano Institude is part of a growing network of Latin American agroecology schools (IALAs) that train young and elder farmers alike to stay rooted in their land, strengthen local economies, and build peace from the ground up. For FENSUAGRO, this work is inseparable from dignity and harmony—with land, animals, and one another.
A Decade of Partnership: From Seed Grant to Sustainable Impact
Over the last decade, WhyHunger has supported FENSUAGRO to strengthen Colombia’s national model for peasant-led education and agroecology. What began with a $5,000 seed grant to the IALA María Cano Agroecology School has grown into a decade of partnership that has helped train young farmers, elevate women’s leadership, and expand community food production, from bakeries and dairies to new facilities for sustainable livestock and ecological farming.
Together, these efforts have amplified the voices of more than 150 rural women leaders, empowered youth to remain in their territories, and built lasting infrastructure for food sovereignty and rural peace.
Learn more about FENSUAGRO in our full case study.
See their work in action in this short video or this full-length video: