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ECUADOR, 2025. FAO staff visit Andean chakras
ECUADOR, 2025. MarÃa is the coordinator of the Chakras Andinas SIPAM project
ECUADOR, 2025. Women farmers participate in ancestral harvest gratitude ceremony
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra talking to FAO officer
ECUADOR, 2025. MarÃa is the coordinator of the Chakras Andinas SIPAM project
ECUADOR, 2025. Women farmers participate in ancestral harvest gratitude ceremony
ECUADOR, 2025. Local farmer Magdalena at work with her daughter
ECUADOR, 2025. Women farmers participate in ancestral harvest gratitude ceremony
ECUADOR, 2025. Rodrigo Pacheco, FAO Goodwill Ambassador with member of the Women’s Committee of UNORCAC
ECUADOR, 2025. Cotacachi region in Imbabura Province
ECUADOR, 2025. Rodrigo Pacheco, FAO Goodwill Ambassador with member of the Women’s Committee of UNORCAC
ECUADOR, 2025. Rodrigo Pacheco, FAO Goodwill Ambassador with member of the Women’s Committee of UNORCAC
ECUADOR, 2025. Cooking fava beans
ECUADOR, 2025. Women farmers participate in ancestral harvest gratitude ceremony
ECUADOR, 2025. FAO Staff at Cuicocha Lake
ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system
ECUADOR, 2025. Holding various native maize varieties
ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system
ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system
ECUADOR, 2025. Harvesting maize
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ECUADOR, 2025. FAO staff on the land with local farmer
07 July 2025. Cotacachi, Ecuador. José Beltrán, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, speaks with farmer José MarÃa Cumba about the diversity of crops grown in his chakra and the challenges posed by climate change. These conversations help highlight the role of ancestral farming practices in building resilience and protecting agrobiodiversity.
07/07/2025
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
File size
16.68 MB
Unique ID
UF1ADO2
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.