In 2020, Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula was ravaged by intense drought, flooding from tropical storm Cristobal, hurricanes, and frequent pest outbreaks, in addition to the impacts of the Covid-19 crisis. These events have taken a toll on food security and livelihoods, elevating the risk of hunger, especially among families of small-scale producers.

At this crucial time, Agroecology Fund (AEF) announced the launch of the Fondo Agroecológico Península de Yucatán (FAPY) to support community organizations dedicated to recovering from a brutal hurricane season and promoting agroecology and food sovereignty in the Yucatan Peninsula.

With funding from the WK Kellogg Foundation, FAPY will be managed by AEF's local partner Túumben K'ooben, a cooperative of primarily Mayan women that supports sustainable community development in the Yucatan Peninsula. FAPY’s mission is to support innovative projects that focus on strengthening agroecological production, deepening agroecology research and knowledge, improving access to markets, and building a just and more climate-resilient food system in the states of Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo. The regional fund will identify and provide funding to projects led by legally constituted community-based organizations (cooperatives, civil associations, rural production societies, etc.) or community groups that have an allied organization legally constituted to receive funding. 

FAPY has just announced a call for proposals (in Spanish), and will give priority to community projects that demonstrate collective impact, are developed by organizations in a participatory manner, and integrate vulnerable populations, such as women, Indigenous people, youth, and the elderly without access to land.