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ECUADOR, 2025. FAO Staff at Cuicocha Lake

08 July 2025. Cuicocha, Ecuador. Paula Lanata, Communications and Partnerships Officer at FAO Ecuador, visits Cuicocha Lake with Kori Villagómez Piñan, daughter of María Piñan. Women pass down their ancestral knowledge to younger generations, and FAO staff support this intergenerational work, which strengthens cultural identity, agrobiodiversity, and spiritual connection to the land.

07/08/2025

Country or Territory Ecuador

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

File size 11.38 MB

Unique ID UF1ADPK

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.