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ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group 
ECUADOR, 2025. Harvesting maize
ECUADOR, 2025. Harvesting maize 
ECUADOR, 2025. Harvesting maize
ECUADOR, 2025. Harvesting maize 
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group 
ECUADOR, 2025. Flowers in Zayra's garden
ECUADOR, 2025. Flowers in Zayra's garden 
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group 
ECUADOR, 2025. Holding various native maize varieties
ECUADOR, 2025. Holding various native maize varieties 
ECUADOR, 2025. One of Zayra's hens
ECUADOR, 2025. One of Zayra's hens 
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. Laying hens
ECUADOR, 2025. Laying hens 
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. Zayra and her daughter feed their pigs
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra and her daughter feed their pigs 
ECUADOR, 2025. Women from the savings group preparing food
ECUADOR, 2025. Women from the savings group preparing food 
ECUADOR, 2025. Cotacachi region in Imbabura Province
ECUADOR, 2025. Cotacachi region in Imbabura Province 
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group 
ECUADOR, 2025. Farmer's son playing outside
ECUADOR, 2025. Farmer's son playing outside 
ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system
ECUADOR, 2025. View of Andean Chakra, an ancestral agricultural system 
ECUADOR, 2025. Writing the monthly financial summary of the women's savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Writing the monthly financial summary of the women's savings group 
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ECUADOR, 2025. Holding wild blackberries 
09 July 2025. El Cercado, Ecuador. Daughter of Zayra Marisol Lanchimba holds a wild blackberry (mora silvestre) in her hands. Wild fruits are part of the traditional diet in Cotacachi and reflect the close relationship that children develop with their natural environment through everyday life in the chakra. 
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
File size 8.08 MB 
Unique ID UF1ADQY 
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.