AGROSAVIA contributes to the construction of a conservation strategy for native and creole seeds with the indigenous peoples in Colombia

• AGROSAVIA accompanies the country's indigenous peoples' representatives on a reconnaissance seed conservation and production tour.
• Representatives of Mesa Permanente de Concertación Indígena – MPCI [the Permanent Indigenous Concertation Round Table] visited the Palmira Research Center of AGROSAVIA, a fruit and palm tree research reference.
• In 2024, discussions on topics such as gene editing, genetic breeding, transgenics, and ex situ conservation in Germplasm Banks are proposed.

 

Palmira, Valle del Cauca. January 16, 2024. Within the framework of the National Development Plan, the national government represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Corporación colombiana de investigación agropecuaria AGROSAVIA and Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario ICA, agreed with the seven organizations that represent the 115 native indigenous peoples from Colombia, the formulation of a rescue, exchange, conservation, and production program of native and creole seeds.

Julio Ramírez, Head of the Seeds Department of AGROSAVIA, said, "We have been formulating a work plan to execute this 2024, which will surely give us a ten-year vision. For this reason, it became necessary to recognize the institutional capacity of national and international research centers focusing on production, seed conservation, and genetic breeding programs. The intention is for the communities to know the progress, protocols, infrastructure, and vision of the entities to leverage actions within the framework of this great strategy."

Thus, on January 12, the delegation of members of the Permanent Indigenous Concertation Round Table - MPCI visited the Palmira Research Center (Valle del Cauca) of AGROSAVIA to learn about seed conservation in the Colombian Germplasm Collection and the rescue and strengthening of chontaduro/peach palm and avocado, the production of citrus fruits in protected environments and genetic breeding in banana and cassava.

In this regard, Carlos Anibal González, member of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca and delegate for the construction of the conservation strategy for native and creole seeds at the national level, shared that "recognizing the dynamics and institutional offer on the subject is very important for the native indigenous people; to know it and be able to distinguish the possible services that are provided in these areas and that serve the productive development of indigenous peoples in Colombia. I am pleasantly surprised by what the Colombian state has been able to maintain in terms of seed research. We hope that this government will consider more support for research and technology transfer in seed issues and that the indigenous people's ancestral knowledge and contribution to the conservation of the country's seeds and genetic material will be considered, recognized, and validated."

This year, AGROSAVIA plans to visit the indigenous communities to jointly build the delegated program to "recognize their trajectory in the production, conservation, and exchange of native and creole seeds. In addition, technical discussions will begin on topics such as gene editing, genetic breeding, transgenics, and ex situ conservation in Germplasm Banks," concluded Ramírez.

In a joint dialogue with indigenous communities, AGROSAVIA will contribute to constructing a new strategy of great importance for the Colombian agricultural sector: native and creole seeds.