Animal genetic sovereignty is strengthened through the Sheep and Goat Germplasm Bank for lowland tropical regions, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and AGROSAVIA

• AGROSAVIA leads the national strategy for the protection of the Colombian Hair Sheep zoogenetic resource for lowland tropical regions.

 

Agustín Codazzi, Cesar. May 13, 2026. AGROSAVIA’s Motilonia Research Center is leading the project “Sheep and Goat Germplasm Bank under lowland tropical conditions – Phase I: Establishment,” a strategic initiative aimed at the conservation, protection, and sustainable use of the Colombian Hair Sheep (CHS), considered one of the most important zoogenetic resources for the country’s tropical livestock systems. The project is being developed within the framework of the national policy on genetic sovereignty and agrobiodiversity protection, promoting the ex situ conservation of sheep populations adapted to lowland tropical environmental conditions.

The Germplasm Bank will serve as a physical and technical facility dedicated to maintaining, characterizing, and conserving Colombian hair sheep families, ensuring the preservation of genetic materials with traits such as hardiness, climate adaptation, resistance, and productive efficiency. The initiative responds to the national need to protect animal genetic resources from challenges such as genetic erosion, uncontrolled crossbreeding, loss of breed identity, low adoption of technology, and the absence of structured conservation and breeding programs.

In Colombia, the Colombian Creole Hair Sheep has demonstrated high productive potential and adaptability to tropical conditions, making it a strategic alternative for sustainable meat production systems and rural food security. However, recent studies reveal increasing risks associated with the decline of pure populations and the loss of genetic variability, a situation that threatens the conservation of adaptive traits developed over decades under tropical conditions.

Clara Viviana Rúa B., Leading Investigator of the project, presented the overall objective, which is to establish a sheep and goat animal germplasm bank through the creation of a genetic nucleus in lowland tropical regions, as an ex situ conservation strategy for the national zoogenetic resource, in alignment with the policy for the protection and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity.

During this first phase, morphometric and genomic characterization of selected animals of interest will be carried out. The results will enable the selection of founder families, and by 2026, progress is expected toward establishing the first conservation flock, adapting infrastructure, developing grazing areas, and implementing management protocols.

The animals will be selected from different regions within the lowland tropical recommendation domain, considering previous results from genetic and productive studies conducted in the country, as well as characterization data, to advance in a second phase toward the creation of family lines. This project is aligned with the national policy for agrobiodiversity protection, strategies for the conservation of zoogenetic resources, international biodiversity commitments, and guidelines for agricultural sustainability and climate change adaptation.

Clara Rúa stated that, “Research conducted on the Colombian Hair Sheep has demonstrated the need to strengthen genetic conservation programs for animals adapted to the conditions of the Colombian tropics. Scientific advances achieved in molecular genetics, growth, carcass quality, and tropical adaptation confirm that the CHS constitutes a strategic zoogenetic resource for the development of resilient, sustainable, and competitive livestock systems, especially in lowland tropical regions. In addition, this local resource has been evaluated in different projects such as the Sheep Meat Production Model.”

Likewise, the project will promote participatory spaces and knowledge management processes involving producers, associations, researchers, and stakeholders from the sheep and goat production chain, aimed at the co-creation of initiatives that strengthen the conservation of the Colombian Hair Sheep, encourage knowledge exchange, foster social appropriation of knowledge, and support the national recognition of the Germplasm Bank as a strategy for the country’s sustainability and genetic sovereignty.

In this process, the National Sheep and Goat Production Chain participates as the main strategic partner, representing different segments of the sheep and goat sector and regional chain committees, under the current presidency of Olga Lucia Toro and the technical secretariat of Jairo Santana from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The participation of academic institutions and international stakeholders with expertise in the field is also expected.

The project is led by AGROSAVIA’s Motilonia Research Center, with technical and operational support from the Carmen de Bolívar branch team, consolidating an institutional effort focused on the strategic conservation of the country’s sheep and goat zoogenetic resources. The initiative is supported by an interdisciplinary team of researchers with doctoral and master’s level training in areas such as genetics and animal breeding, animal nutrition, animal health and welfare, reproduction, and animal production, contributing scientific and technical expertise for the development of characterization, conservation, research, and strengthening processes for sustainable production systems adapted to Colombian lowland tropical conditions.

AGROSAVIA reaffirms its commitment to conserving national agrobiodiversity and strengthening sustainable livestock systems adapted to Colombia’s tropical conditions.