PlaN A 2026 strengthens intergenerational dialogue and the appropriation of agroecology in five municipalities of Colombia

Mosquera, Cundinamarca. September 8, 2026. Within the framework of the implementation of the second phase of the PlaN A – National Agroecology Plan project, linked to Target 09 of the Targets and Results Framework “Consolidation of territorial agroecological pilots in contribution to the National Agroecology Plan,” the Sustainable Intensive Production Department (DPIS, for its Spanish acronym) of AGROSAVIA conducted, during July and August 2026, five social appropriation of knowledge sessions on functional biodiversity and territorial governance in the municipalities of Mesetas (Meta), Cimitarra (Santander), Ciénaga (Magdalena), Colón-Genova (Nariño), and Tibacuy (Cundinamarca). These sessions strengthened knowledge dialogue and the participation of students, teachers, and producers as key actors in agroecological transition processes.

Estefanía Bohorquez Andrade, Carmen Lorena Chavarro Rodríguez, and Camilo Pantoja Espinosa, professionals from the Sustainable Intensive Production Department, designed the activities, under the leadership of Martha Marina Bolaños Benavides. The methodological proposal was based on experiential learning, intergenerational dialogue, and the collective construction of knowledge around the stewardship of the territory, biodiversity, and the principles of agroecology.

The first activity, “Web of Life of an Agroecological Farm,” invited participants to understand that a farm's biodiversity is a network of organisms that perform complementary functions to maintain the balance of the agroecosystem. Through a station-based activity structured around missions, participants identified the role of soil biota, plants, pollinators, biological control agents, animals, and farming families within the same ecological network. By the end of the activity, they recognized that agroecological production depends on multiple interactions among the system's components and that soil biodiversity forms the foundation of the ecological processes that sustain food production.

 

Development of the “Web of Life of an Agroecological Farm” activity

Subsequently, the activity “Ladders and Slides: Living and Territorial Allies” was conducted. This playful, educational strategy allowed participants to reflect, through a game, on the importance of sustainable soil and water management, biodiversity conservation, implementing agroecological practices, collaborative work, developing community agreements, and coordinating with different territorial stakeholders. This exercise helped the teams recognize how good practices strengthen agroecosystem sustainability, while practices that are subject to improvement represent opportunities to keep moving toward more resilient territories.

 

Development of the “Ladders and Slides: Living and Territorial Allies” activity

The third activity, “Social Mapping: Weaving Agroecological Knowledge Networks,” fostered the collective construction of a map of the territory in which participants identified the relationships among natural resources, production systems, agroecological practices, ecosystem services, short food supply chains, and local stakeholders. This exercise enabled participants to visualize how food production and biodiversity conservation are closely interconnected. It also created a space for intergenerational dialogue in which participants shared memories, reflected on the transformations of the territory, and discussed a shared vision for the future of the territory based on the principles of agroecology.

Development of the “Social Mapping: Weaving Agroecological Knowledge Networks of the Territory” activity

In Mesetas (Meta), the activities were held on July 23, 2026, with the participation of 13 students aged 7 to 13 from La Argentina School, as well as local producers. Diana Elisa Correa and Hugo Ernesto Gil from the La Libertad Research and Technology Transfer Center – CIT La Libertad supported the session.

In Cimitarra (Santander), the workshop was held on July 28, 2026, with 20 students aged 14 to 16 from Colegio Integrado del Carare (CICA), with support from Wilson Barragán and José Alexander Rodríguez from CIT El Nus.

In Ciénaga (Magdalena), three sessions were held on August 6, 18, and 19, 2026, with tenth- and eleventh-grade students from three educational institutions: Institución Educativa La María, with 20 students; Institución Educativa Rural San Pedro de la Sierra, with 27 students; and Institución Educativa Rural San Javier, with 31 students. Marlon Yacomelo and María Polo Yepez from CIT Caribia supported the activities, along with thesis students Celin Nadjar Mendoza and Michell García Yacomelo.

In Colón (Nariño), the workshop was held on August 12, 2026, with 25 fifth-grade elementary school students from Institución Educativa Nuestra Señora del Rosario, three teachers, and three producers, supported by David Álvarez and Steven Ramos from the Obonuco Research and Technology Transfer Center.

Finally, in Tibacuy (Cundinamarca), the workshop was held on August 20, 2026, with 28 ninth-, tenth-, and eleventh-grade students from Institución Educativa Departamental Calandaima, supported by Fabián Martínez and Juan Benavides from CIT Tibaitatá.

Together, these spaces demonstrated that intergenerational dialogue, the co-creation of knowledge, and practical learning are fundamental elements for strengthening the social appropriation of agroecology knowledge. The exchange of knowledge among students, families, and producers helped them recognize the value of farmers’ knowledge and its fundamental role in educating new generations and preserving and transmitting it.

Likewise, the activities connected classroom learning with the agroecological experiences developed by PlaN A, together with producers from the first phase of the project, fostering recognition of the progress achieved in agroecological transition processes.

The interaction among students, teachers, and producers made it possible to recognize that agroecological transition depends not only on incorporating new production practices, but also on the capacity of territories to preserve, share, and bring scientific and local knowledge into dialogue.

Through these actions, AGROSAVIA, via the National Agroecology Plan (PlaN A), continues to promote participatory processes that contribute to the development of more resilient, biodiverse, and sustainable territories, strengthening connections among new generations, rural communities, and the knowledge required to advance toward more sustainable agrifood systems.