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ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system
ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system
ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system
ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system
ECUADOR, 2025. Harvesting maize
ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system
ECUADOR, 2025. Harvesting maize
ECUADOR, 2025. FAO staff visit Andean chakras
ECUADOR, 2025. Women from the savings group preparing food
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Cotacachi region in Imbabura Province
ECUADOR, 2025. Cooking fava beans
ECUADOR, 2025. María is the coordinator of the Chakras Andinas SIPAM project
ECUADOR, 2025. Cooking with fava beans
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Women farmers participate in ancestral harvest gratitude ceremony
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Holding wild blackberries
ECUADOR, 2025. María is the coordinator of the Chakras Andinas SIPAM project
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ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system
09 July 2025. El Cercado, Ecuador. Landscape view of an Andean chakra (traditional agroecological plot) in the community of El Cercado, home to the largest women’s savings group among the surrounding communities. These chakras sustain diverse native crops while supporting women’s leadership in local economies, food sovereignty, and community resilience.
07/09/2025
Country or Territory
Ecuador
Credit
© FAO / Johanna Alarcón
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
6.16 MB
Unique ID
UF1ADPO
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.