Quintana Roo Hands Out First Rural Sector Merit Awards to Three Workers

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Quintana Roo has handed out its first Rural Sector Merit awards, recognizing three people whose working lives span vanilla farming, beekeeping, coastal labor and livestock conservation.

Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa presented the recognition to Georgina Gil Hernández, Martha Ruth Góngora García and Edward Manuel Brito Estrella. Officials said the three share a common thread: daily work, stewardship of natural resources and the search for new ways to draw a living from the land and sea without depleting them.

Three careers, three corners of the state

• Georgina Gil Hernández — years of vanilla production and efforts to rescue the melipona bee, a stingless species tied to the region’s tradition and biodiversity.
• Martha Ruth Góngora García — based in Punta Herrero, she has built her life around the sea, with decades of work tied to the activities that sustain coastal communities.
• Edward Manuel Brito Estrella — more than 16 years rescuing and conserving the Mexican hairless pig, known locally as the cerdo pelón mexicano, a breed considered part of the country’s livestock and cultural heritage.

Lezama said the award is meant to bring attention to the women and men who support farming, ranching and fishing through sustainable practices, innovation and efficient use of resources. She described it as part of a policy aimed at diversifying the state economy and creating development conditions across Quintana Roo’s regions.

Jorge Aguilar Osorio, the state secretary for agricultural, rural and fisheries development, said farm and sea workers had for years been left out of this kind of recognition despite their daily contributions to society.

A review committee made up of representatives from educational institutions and the sector selected the recipients, with the aim of guaranteeing an impartial and lawful evaluation.

The ceremony drew family members and friends of the honorees. In a state known above all for tourism, the three careers point to another Quintana Roo — the one of plots, apiaries, coastlines, backyard animals and communities where rural work remains part of everyday life.