IALA Mesoamerica (or Latin American Institute of Agroecology) is an educational initiative of the transnational peasant movement La Via Campesina to facilitate the training and scaling of agroecology in the territories of Central America and southern Mexico.
Agroecology, a regenerative form of agriculture based on ancestral knowledge and ecological principles, is seen by La Via Campesina as a pillar for realizing food sovereignty and cooling the planet.
IALA Mesoamerica’s educational philosophy is based in processes of formación, or transformational political education, in which students gain awareness not just to become agroecological farmers but also social movement cadre and rural leaders.