Chile develops new rural strategy amid environmental crisis

The Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP) has developed its 2026-2030 Strategy to address the evolving challenges facing Chile's rural world and family farming. The new framework aims to modernize the institution by prioritizing regional needs and decentralizing budgetary decision-making, allowing local authorities to better allocate resources based on specific territorial and productive requirements.

This institutional shift comes as Chile faces a triple environmental crisis consisting of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Experts from the Universidad de O’Higgins note that these issues are no longer future projections but daily realities, evidenced by the long-term megadrought affecting central Chile, retreating glaciers, and increasingly destructive forest fires. Water security has been identified as the most urgent national priority, as it serves as the critical link between ecosystem degradation, pollutant concentration, and community tension.