AGROSAVIA closes the year of the Nature Positive Project with the fair “Cosechando Saberes” [“harvesting Wisdom”]

Cumbal, Nariño. December 23, 2025. On December 18, AGROSAVIA held the closing fair “Cosechando Saberes,” a space for meeting, exchange, and celebration that marks the annual closure of the Nature Positive Project, now Multifunctional Landscapes, in the municipality of Cumbal.

The day’s central focus was the seed exchange, an ancestral practice that enabled the exchange of knowledge and materials among local communities, with the participation of different custodians of native seeds such as potatoes, ollucos, mashuas, and ocas, strengthening community processes for the conservation of agrobiodiversity.

One of the most outstanding moments of the event was the awards ceremony for the Citizen Science Contest, in which girls and boys, through photographic records and artistic expressions, contributed to the conservation of local agrobiodiversity. This process was carried out in coordination with educational institutions in the territory, integrating school-based knowledge with traditional knowledge.

Another key moment was the exchange of experiences and knowledge, which included the participation of special guests and national and international references, among them Professor Mauricio Parra from Universidad Nacional de Colombia; Professor José María Iriondo from Rey Juan Carlos University (Spain), an expert in crop wild relatives; Irma Chinguad from the El Talkal Seed House; Trent Blere and Israel Navarrete from the International Potato Center; Carolina González, Head of the Agrobiodiversity Department at AGROSAVIA; and Jorge Chiran and Esteban Gangotena from the Cumbe Educational Institution.

In this space, reflections on the importance of in situ and ex situ conservation as pillars of conservation were held; the complementarity between seed houses, local processes, and the Germplasm Bank for Food and Agriculture; as well as the recognition of farmers’ rights within national and international policies, particularly the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) in relation to conservation.

Finally, the Payacuando Sabores gastronomic fair was held, where, together with the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, women from the Pumamaques organization participated with different traditional dishes prepared using local agrobiodiversity.

“Cosechando Saberes” was consolidated as a true meeting of knowledge, where science, education, traditions, and community participation engaged in dialogue around a common objective: conserving agrobiodiversity and strengthening food sovereignty from the territories.

With this event, AGROSAVIA reaffirms its commitment to sustainable, participatory agriculture based on the recognition of local knowledge, articulating institutional, community, and academic efforts in favor of the country’s biological and cultural heritage.