Instituto Mayor Campesino (IMCA)

Name

Instituto Mayor Campesino (IMCA)

Legal name

Fundación Instituto Mayor Campesino (IMCA)

Website

https://imca.org.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Instituto Mayor Campesino (IMCA) is a Jesuit-affiliated Colombian non-profit foundation that has accompanied rural peasant communities in Valle del Cauca since 1962, delivering agroecology, community water management, territorial planning, and capacity-strengthening programs funded primarily by European and international development donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Community Development Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Donor Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation (MEL) Programs (BPADABAN), Economic Growth, Trade & Private Sector Development Programs (BPADABAF)

Keywords

• Rural community development
• Community water management
• Agroecology programs
• Capacity building services
• Territorial development projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Guadalajara de Buga

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. International Development Cooperation Funding: IMCA receives funding from international donors including AECID (Spain), AFD (France), French Development Agency, Gobierno de Navarra, Ayuntamiento de Vitoria, AMVISA, Bilbao, and others for implementing development projects in agroecology, water management, and rural development.
2. Donations and Philanthropic Support: Individual donations collected through the website's donation portal to support community programs and peasant family accompaniment.
3. Social Enterprise Revenue (IMCA Hotel and Garittea): IMCA Hotel operates as a rural tourism and conference center (Tourism Registry No. 36324), while Garittea social enterprise supports peasant families with fair income generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IMCA accompanies rural peasant communities in central Valle del Cauca, Colombia through four service lines: Capacity Strengthening training and diploma programs; Participatory Territorial Planning using Plans de Vida methodologies; international development Project Management (funded by AECID, AFD, European Union and others); and Systematization/Research producing policy-relevant knowledge. Operationally it runs three ancillary social enterprises: CESEM conference center, IMCA Hotel rural hospitality, and the Empresa Social Garittea fair-trade agricultural enterprise supporting peasant family incomes.

Product overview

IMCA operates as a platform of social programs and rural development services rather than a unified commercial product. Its portfolio includes three distinct operational areas: the Centro de Encuentros y Seminarios (CESEM), a conference and lodging facility; the Empresa Social Garittea, a social enterprise supporting peasant family income; and IMCA Hotel, a rural hospitality service. Beyond these, IMCA delivers community development interventions in capacity strengthening, territorial planning, project management, and systematization/research, all oriented toward sustainable rural development, agroecology, and community water management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Empresa Social Garittea: A social enterprise enabling peasant families in central Valle del Cauca to obtain fair income through sustainable agricultural production and commercialization.
• IMCA Hotel
• Centro de Encuentros y Seminarios (CESEM)

Products and services

• Centro de Encuentros y Seminarios (CESEM) Conference, lodging, and event venue serving organizations and groups seeking rural meeting facilities in Guadalajara de Buga, Valle del Cauca, with capacity for 150 attendees in multi-occupancy rooms and 6 equipped meeting rooms, including dining and recreational amenities.
• Empresa Social Garittea Social enterprise that enables peasant families in central Valle del Cauca to access fair markets and generate just income through sustainable agricultural production and commercialization activities.
• IMCA Hotel Rural retreat and hospitality service operated by the Jesuit social center Fundación Instituto Mayor Campesino, registered under National Tourism Registry No. 36324, offering countryside accommodation, dining, and event facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 160 community aqueduct organizations strengthened through 20 years of water management program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Red de Centros Sociales (RCS) de la CPALcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026IMCA participates in the Network of Jesuit Social Centers of the Conference of Jesuit Provinces of Latin America and the Caribbean. The network strengthens coordinated action, shares methodologies, and consolidates a common agenda for social justice and reconciliation.
• AS-PTA (Agricultura Familiar e Agroecologia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014AS-PTA from Brazil and IMCA jointly coordinate the multinational 'Alianza por la Agroecología' project co-funded by the European Union, covering Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Paraguay.
• Red COMPARTEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Red COMPARTE is a network of Jesuit social centers across Latin America created to promote economic-productive alternatives for excluded populations. IMCA is a founding member and currently coordinates the network. The network implements joint initiatives like #ElijoLocal campaign for local consumption.
• FECOSER (Federación de Organizaciones Comunitarias Gestoras del Agua del Valle del Cauca)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner20+ year partnership with FECOSER in community water management, including the XX Regional Encounter of Community Aqueducts (2026) bringing together 160+ participants from across Colombia.
• ALBOANcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish NGO that partners with IMCA as implementing partner for multiple projects including COSECHAS DE ESPERANZA, AGUA PARA LA VIDA, and various agroecology initiatives.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMCA is listed as a partner organization on FAO's family farming platform, indicating collaboration in sustainable agriculture and rural development.
• ActionAid BrasilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational NGO participating in 'Alianza por la Agroecología' project alongside IMCA and AS-PTA.
• CIPCA (Centro de Investigación y Promoción del Campesinado)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBolivian peasant research and promotion center, partner in 'Alianza por la Agroecología'.
• RECAB (Red Colombiana de Agricultura Biológica)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian network for biological agriculture, partner organization in 'Alianza por la Agroecología'.
• SIMAS (Servicio de Información Mesoamericano sobre Agricultura Sostenible)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMesoamerican information service for sustainable agriculture, partner in 'Alianza por la Agroecología'.
• Red Nacional de Acueductos Comunitarios de ColombiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMCA participates from its genesis in this national platform of community water management organizations, contributing to policy advocacy including the 'Ley Propia' for community water governance.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MAELA (Movimiento Agroecológico de América Latina y el Caribe): Continental movement coordinating peasant, indigenous, and smallholder agroecology initiatives. IMCA is listed as a participant; MAELA is a comparable agroecology-focused organization with overlapping membership and methodology.
• SIMAS (Servicio de Información Mesoamericano sobre Agricultura Sostenible): Nicaragua-based sustainable agriculture information and research service. Partner in Alianza por la Agroecología and directly comparable in its focus on agroecological knowledge generation for Central American smallholders.
• Centro Bartolomé de las Casas: Peruvian Jesuit-affiliated center working on agroecology, rural Andean development, and rights-based accompaniment. Highly comparable given shared Jesuit identity and small-team, multi-donor operating model.
• CIPCA (Centro de Investigación y Promoción del Campesinado): Bolivian peasant research and promotion center working on rural development, agroecology, and peasant economies. Partner in Alianza por la Agroecología and closely aligned with IMCA's territorial-planning and capacity-building approach.
• AS-PTA (Agricultura Familiar e Agroecologia): Brazilian NGO focused on family farming and agroecology. Co-coordinator with IMCA of the multinational Alianza por la Agroecología covering seven Latin American countries, making it the most directly comparable peer.

Others

• CCFD-Terre Solidaire: French Catholic committee against hunger and for development, co-funding TACSA. Comparable as a European development partner operating in Latin America through faith-based networks.
• ALBOAN: Basque-Spanish Jesuit NGO co-implementing COSECHAS DE ESPERANZA, AGUA PARA LA VIDA, and other IMCA projects. Closely comparable as a Jesuit-aligned development NGO with co-funding and co-execution roles.

Broad incumbents

• ActionAid International: International federation of anti-poverty NGOs participating in Alianza por la Agroecología via ActionAid Brasil. Comparable as a broader incumbent in agroecology, rural rights, and south-south cooperation in Latin America.
• FAO Family Farming Platform: UN agency initiative listing IMCA as a partner. Broad incumbent operating at global scale on family farming, food sovereignty, and rural development policy — overlapping with IMCA's agroecology and rural development agenda.

Regional players

• RECAB (Red Colombiana de Agricultura Biológica): Colombian network promoting biological/organic agriculture. Partner in Alianza por la Agroecología and directly comparable within Colombia on agroecological transition methodologies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/imca1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwhjshd45a3ZwKFCEKHf8HQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/institutomayorcampesino.imca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/instituyo-mayor-campesino-imca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Instituto Mayor Campesino (IMCA)