Francisca Ramirez

Francisca Ramírez, a Nicaraguan environmental and land rights activist from La Fonseca, Nueva Guinea, is recognized by Forbes Mexico as “one of Central America’s most influential figures.” She founded the Consejo por la Defensa de la Tierra, Lago Soberania, advocating for land and sovereignty in one of the regions most hostile to land rights. Despite facing numerous government-led threats, Ramirez has consistently rejected lucrative offers to abandon
her cause.

Ramírez has also criticized governmental neglect of infrastructure, which heavily impacts poor farming communities. A staunch defender of peasants’ rights, in 2014, she opposed a law permitting the construction of a shipping canal by the HKND Group, which would displace numerous families. In April 2018, she supported national protests and a general strike against the government, demanding justice and calling for an end to President Daniel Ortega’s unchecked power.