About Agros International
For a farming family, owning a piece of land can mean much more than having somewhere to grow crops.
It can mean stability. A dependable livelihood. A home that truly belongs to them. And something valuable they can eventually pass down to their children.
That's the idea at the heart of Agros International.
Inspired by the teachings of Jesus, Agros is a Christian nonprofit working alongside farming families in rural Latin America to break cycles of generational poverty. Rather than focusing primarily on short-term assistance, Agros helps families build toward something lasting: land ownership, profitable agricultural businesses, financial independence, healthier families, and communities capable of flourishing for generations.
The ministry describes this journey as a Path to Prosperity.
It Starts With Ownership
Many rural families know how to farm but spend their lives working land they will never own.
Agros believes changing that relationship with the land can change the trajectory of an entire family.
Since 1984, the organization has helped create rural communities where families can work toward owning agricultural land while receiving the training, financing, infrastructure, and support necessary to turn that land into a sustainable livelihood.
The goal isn't simply to give someone a temporary source of income.
It's to help a family become an owner.
The Path to Prosperity
Moving from extreme poverty to long-term stability doesn't happen overnight, so Agros works with families through a gradual process.
Its Path to Prosperity model follows four stages: Recover, Build, Grow, and Prosper.
Families may begin by addressing immediate needs such as food, clean water, shelter, education, and healthcare.
From there, the focus shifts toward building agricultural skills, developing leadership, improving productivity, and creating stronger community organizations.
As farms become more productive, families learn how to connect with commercial markets, generate working capital, expand their businesses, and build assets.
The ultimate goal is self-sufficiency—families owning their land, operating profitable farms or businesses, and creating something their children can build upon.
More Than Better Farming
Agros recognizes that owning land alone doesn't automatically eliminate poverty.
A family also needs the knowledge and opportunity to make that land productive.
That's why agricultural training is combined with access to markets, financing, business development, and modern farming practices.
At the same time, Agros works with communities on health, nutrition, clean water, sanitation, education, leadership, and other foundational needs.
The approach is intentionally holistic because poverty affects nearly every part of life.
How Agros Began
Agros traces its beginnings to Guatemala in the early 1980s.
Founder Chi-Dooh "Skip" Li encountered rural families whose lives had been devastated by poverty and civil war. He became convinced that restoring access to land could give farming families a genuine opportunity to rebuild their lives.
In 1984, that vision became Agros.
Since then, the organization has established more than 45 rural communities across countries including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua, impacting tens of thousands of people.
Building Something the Next Generation Can Inherit
Agros ultimately wants families to reach a point where they no longer need Agros.
Parents can own their farms, earn sustainable incomes, build assets, educate their children, and make decisions about their futures from a position of greater stability.
And their children can begin life with opportunities their parents never had.
At the heart of Agros International is the belief that rural families don't lack potential—they often lack opportunity. By walking alongside them toward ownership and self-sufficiency, Agros seeks to help families move beyond surviving poverty and begin building a legacy that can flourish for generations.
