The Fundación Mexicana para el Desarrollo Rural, A.C.(Mexican Foundation for Rural Development), or Fundación Sembrando Trabajo, was founded 47 years ago as the first non-profit organization in Mexico to focus on the development of rural areas. Since then, it has brought opportunities for progress to rural populations by generating improvements in labor, health, education, housing, and development for over 500,000 families in 17 Mexican states.

The Foundation seeks to break a culture of dependency and focuses on education (outside the school setting) for the most needy, who undertake a transformational process through which they recover self-confidence and the belief that they can advance through their own work. This allows for the development of productive projects that increase land productivity, improve harvest quality, facilitate the commercialization of products, and, as a consequence, increase the farmers’ earnings by up to 300%, substantially improving their quality of life and that of their families.

With these projects, the Foundation aspires to alleviate a series of social issues in Mexico, including, among others, emigration from rural areas; social disintegration; delinquency in urban centers; lack of education and career prospects; poor nutrition, especially among infants; and families' low incomes due to lack of training, technology, and appropriate fertilizers.

The Foundation currently has 63 projects in 17 Mexican states, among which Educampo and En Pro de la Mujer are emblematic models:  

Educampo:

• Educampo aims to increase the productivity of corn production in the least developed regions of Mexico through an educational program (using the Foundation’s unique methodology) and a combination of technology, funding, crop insurance, and improved commercial practices.
• The project is being implemented in Chiapas, Jalisco, Campeche and Veracruz.
• In 2011, the Foundation will work with 4,000 low-income producers on 25,000 hectares of land in these four states.
• In just one year, Educampo has managed to triple families’ incomes and increase their productivity by 120%.

En Pro de la Mujer. Program for Family Well-Being in the Hands of Rural Women:

• En Pro de la Mujer seeks to contribute to improving the lives of low-income rural families through a program promoting the involvement of rural women in economic activities.
• The project is being implemented in Oaxaca and has benefited 342 women by doubling their families’ incomes.
• The Foundation is monitoring the nutrition, weight, and height of 220 children.

To learn more about Fundación Sembrando Trabajo and how you can support its work, please contact The Resource Foundation at 212-675-6170.  Donations may be made to Fundación Sembrando Trabajo through The Resource Foundation by clicking here.