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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. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group 
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. Members of the women's savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Members of the women's savings group 
ECUADOR, 2025. Harvesting maize
ECUADOR, 2025. Harvesting maize 
ECUADOR, 2025. Maria is a member of the El Cercado women’s savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Maria is a member of the El Cercado women’s savings group 
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. Members of the women's savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Members of the women's savings group 
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. Zayra arrives for the community group meeting
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra arrives for the community group meeting 
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 
ECUADOR, 2025. Members of the women's savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Members of the women's savings group 
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 wild blackberries
ECUADOR, 2025. Holding wild blackberries 
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Zayra is treasurer of the women’s savings group 
ECUADOR, 2025. Maria is president of the women's savings group
ECUADOR, 2025. Maria is president of the women's savings group 
ECUADOR, 2025. Women farmers prepare traditional tortillas
ECUADOR, 2025. Women farmers prepare traditional tortillas 
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ECUADOR, 2025. Women from the savings group preparing food 
09 July 2025. El Cercado, Ecuador. Women from the El Cercado savings group prepare food over a wood-fired stove. During each monthly meeting, they share meals made with ingredients from their chakras, reinforcing bonds of solidarity, reciprocity, and collective care among families in the community. 
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 9.92 MB 
Unique ID UF1ADR2 
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.