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ECUADOR, 2025. Cotacachi region in Imbabura Province

ECUADOR, 2025. Maize grown by Kichwa community

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ECUADOR, 2025. Women producers at the community fair

ECUADOR, 2025. Magdalena's farmhouse

ECUADOR, 2025. Kichwa farmer cutting maize stalks

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ECUADOR, 2025. Hand holding corn seed

ECUADOR, 2025. Kichwa farmer cutting maize stalks

ECUADOR, 2025. Wide shot of the Imbabura Volcano

ECUADOR, 2025. Shoppers at the community fair

ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system

ECUADOR, 2025. Shopping at the community fair

ECUADOR, 2025. José María runs a small farm with his wife, Magdalena

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ECUADOR, 2025. Cotacachi region in Imbabura Province

06 July 2025. Iltaqui, Ecuador. Landscape view of Cotacachi from the community of Iltaqui. Cotacachi is home to 35 Indigenous communities whose main activities are agriculture and livestock farming. Their crops preserve a wide diversity of native seeds, including grains, fruits, vegetables, and greens. The region’s varied climate and cultivation at altitudes ranging from 2,200 to 2,700 meters enhance its biodiversity.

07/06/2025

Country or Territory Ecuador

Related URL Related FAO Feature Story: https://www.fao.org/newsroom/story/secrets-of-the-andean-chakras/en

UNFAO Source FAO Photo Library

File size 7.23 MB

Unique ID UF1ADNW

Editorial use only. Photo credit must be given. For further information contact: Photo-Library@fao.org

Background Information Kichwa women and their ancestral agricultural knowledge have sustained food security in Ecuador’s highlands for centuries. Their farms, known as chakra, were recognized in 2023 by FAO as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). Indigenous women like Magdalena are seed guardians, preserving native maize varieties and passing this knowledge to her daughter Verónica.

Climate change-related droughts, floods and pests threaten this system, but with FAO’s support, organizations like UNORCAC work with Kichwa communities to strengthen resilience through the use and exchange of native seeds.