2025-02-15

Rural Education in Focus: FAO and Colombia’s Ministry of Education Discuss New National Strategy | Bogotá, Colombia – February 2025

Meetings were held between FAO-Colombia, the Ministry of National Education (MEN) and CRIIA Institute, to explore a new national strategy for rural education, in collaboration with experts and partners involved in ongoing initiatives.

Agustín Zimmermann, FAO Representative in Colombia, emphasized the importance of quickly initiating interinstitutional collaboration to offer rural youth a more relevant education, adapted to the evolving reality of Colombia’s countryside.

The proposal is supported by Andrea Parra, Coordinator of the MEN’s Special Project on Rural Education, and José Gómez from FAO, who oversees a project in Cauca involving a “Network of Sustainable Schools,” including several Agroforestry Technical Institutes (ITAF). Both acknowledged that this is a strategic moment to implement sustainable and nutrition-sensitive school environments in rural communities.

Michela Espinosa, Senior Specialist in Food and Nutrition, stressed the need to adapt school curricula to rural realities, incorporating key topics such as food security. Fanny Aldana, from FAO’s Knowledge Management team, will coordinate the development of a collaborative agenda, which should also include other key actors, such as the Ministry of Agriculture.

This initiative marks an important step toward integrated public policies for inclusive and transformative rural education in Colombia.

Prev article Next article