Cultivating Resilience in Gran Cumbal
18 December 2025, Colombia: In the Indigenous Reserve of Gran Cumbal of Nariño in southern Colombia, a series of recent field activities has exemplified how community-led initiatives can weave together education, agroecology, women’s leadership, and seed sovereignty. These activities are part of the CGIAR Multifunctional Landscapes Programme B-REAL project (Biodiversity for Resilient Ecosystems in Agricultural Landscapes), a CGIAR-supported effort aimed at integrating biodiversity conservation into farming practices across climate-stressed regions. Gran Cumbal is one such living landscape, where local schools, farmers, and indigenous organizations are partnering to safeguard crop diversity and strengthen community resilience. Below is a summary of the latest developments from the field, highlighting the community’s progress and reflections on this journey.
Building a Sustainable Seed Bank Network
At the core of Gran Cumbal’s efforts is the preservation of traditional crop diversity through community seed banks. A dedicated workshop was held to develop a sustainability plan for the Yar Pue Cumbe community seed bank, the central seed repository serving the entire reserve. During this workshop, participants examined five dimensions of sustainability, ranging from organizational management and social inclusion to long-term financial viability. A key outcome was a plan to develop a robust business strategy focused on adding value to the reserve’s rich native potato varieties and improving their marketing. By exploring value addition (such as processing potatoes into new products) and market linkages, the community aims to ensure that conserving biodiversity also brings tangible economic benefits. This forward-looking plan will help Yar Pue Cumbe thrive as a community-managed seed hub for years to come, balancing its conservation mission with real livelihood opportunities for local families.
In parallel, the project team facilitated a hands-on training workshop for the custodians of nine nodal community seed banks (CSBs) that radiate from Yar Pue Cumbe. Uniquely, these nodal CSBs are managed by teachers, parents, and students together, effectively turning each seed bank into a living classroom and seed garden. At the training, schoolteachers and parent volunteers from across the reserve came together to share experiences and improve their skills in seed conservation and agroecology. Each nodal seed bank maintains a collection of local seeds as well as an accompanying seed garden where varieties like potatoes, quinoa, beans, and maize are grown for learning and multiplication. This school-based seed bank network serves a dual purpose: it safeguards indigenous crop varieties and educates the next generation. Students get to learn science and agriculture by actively conserving seeds and cultivating crops, strengthening their practical knowledge of agroecological principles. Such integration of education and seed conservation not only builds technical skills but also fosters seed sovereignty at the grassroots level – young people and their families are directly engaged in protecting their food heritage and controlling their own seed supply.
Engaging Media for Broader Impact
To amplify these local achievements beyond the reserve, the project invited a group of media professionals to visit Gran Cumbal for a two-day immersion. Guided by local partners, several journalists and photographers toured the communities and project sites, meeting the people who are driving these initiatives. The media visitors interviewed community elders, seed custodians, women entrepreneurs, and students, capturing their stories and perspectives in rich detail. By the end of the visit, the team had compiled extensive photographic documentation and testimonies from community members. This media engagement is expected to result in articles, photo essays, or radio segments that share Gran Cumbal’s experience with a wider audience. More importantly, it gave community members an opportunity to voice their knowledge and aspirations, helping shift the narrative about indigenous rural communities towards one of innovation, resilience, and hope. As these stories travel beyond Cumbal, they will highlight how a small reserve in Nariño is creatively addressing global challenges through local action.
Women Pioneering Agrotourism with “YARPURAM”
Women’s leadership has been a driving force in many of Gran Cumbal’s initiatives. A recent encuentro (gathering) was held with the Women’s Association of La Boyera, an indigenous women’s group that is spearheading a visionary initiative known as YARPURAM, meaning “House of Life.” The YARPURAM initiative is a shining example of how rural women are leading on multiple fronts – blending entrepreneurship, cultural preservation, and agroecological tourism. It focuses on creating sustainable livelihoods by leveraging the community’s rich agricultural biodiversity and heritage. Through YARPURAM, the women of La Boyera are developing agrotourism experiences that invite visitors to learn about traditional farming practices and enjoy local gastronomy based on native crops. They are also working on value addition – for instance, turning local potatoes, quinoa, or berries into processed products like flour, teas, or jams – to increase the income from these crops. All of these activities are infused with Andean cultural celebration, from showcasing indigenous music and dance to reviving ancestral recipes for guests. During the encuentro, the Boyera women shared their progress and plans, demonstrating a deep commitment to both the economic empowerment of their families and the safeguarding of their cultural identity. Their leadership of YARPURAM highlights how women entrepreneurs can be pivotal agents of change: they are simultaneously boosting family incomes, promoting sustainable use of local resources, and ensuring that traditions are kept alive for future generations.
New Seed Custodians Celebrate Potato Diversity
Another heartwarming event took place at an encuentro with one of the nodal seed banks, located in the community of Romerio. On this occasion, the community welcomed a new group of new, very young seed custodians (attending the local primary school), local farmers and students who have pledged to conserve and share traditional seeds. In a ceremony full of pride and emotion, these new custodians were introduced to their neighbors and peers. They marked the moment by reciting original poems celebrating the astonishing diversity of native potatoes grown in the reserve. Verses spoken in both Spanish and the local Pasto language paid homage to potatoes of all colors, shapes, and names a poetic tribute to the cultural and nutritional wealth that these tubers represent. This creative expression reinforced how saving seeds is far more than a scientific task; it is a cultural act that carries stories, memories, and identity.
As the network of seed custodians grows, so does the collection of seeds under community care. The Yar Pue Cumbe seed bank and its nodes now maintain and multiply 63 varieties of native potatoes with the technical support of Agrosavia. Agrosavia’s researchers have been working closely with the community, providing clean planting materials and agronomic advice to help propagate some rare potato landraces. Achieving 63 distinct native varieties is a significant milestone – a tangible testament to Gran Cumbal’s commitment to conserving agrobiodiversity. Each variety conserved is a piece of genetic heritage that may hold unique flavors, resilience to pests or climate, and cultural significance.
Youth Embrace Agro-Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The integration of education and agroecology was on full display during the 9th Micro-business Entrepreneurship Fair at the Institución Educativa Divino Niño Jesús in Cumbal. This annual fair, held at one of the region’s largest technical high schools (with over 1,100 students enrolled), showcased the creativity and innovative spirit of Cumbal’s youth. The MFL B-REAL project team participated in the two-day event alongside students, teachers, and local entrepreneurs. Graduating students presented a wide array of agro-entrepreneurship projects they developed as part of their technical training – and many of these projects drew directly from the local biodiversity and crops of the region.
Walking through the fair, one could see exhibits of agro-entrepreneurship projects based on local products, crops, livestock, and wild species. Students explained how they had identified market needs and then used locally available plants and fruits to create value-added products. These projects not only demonstrate business acumen, but also a deepening appreciation among youth for their land’s ecological riches.
Impressed by the ingenuity on display, the B-REAL project team has initiated plans for a closer collaboration with the Divino Niño Jesús school. In upcoming months, the project will work with teachers and student clubs to further develop some of these ideas focusing on improving cultivation techniques and value chains for quinoa, potatoes, and native fruit crops. By providing mentorship, technical support, and possibly small grants or materials, the team hopes to help scale up the most promising student-led ventures. This partnership will effectively link classroom learning with real-world opportunities, reinforcing the idea that conservation of biodiversity can go hand-in-hand with entrepreneurship. It also cements the school’s role as a local innovation hub, where young people can experiment with nature-based business ideas that benefit their community.
Honoring a Community Champion Through Partnership
One of the most moving events in recent months was a tribute organized in honor of the Alliance staff member Marleni Ramirez, a beloved member of the community, who died on 5 November 2025 in Lima, Peru. The tribute brought together a broad coalition of local partners and institutions, demonstrating the unity and collaborative spirit in Gran Cumbal. Representatives of Agrosavia (Colombia’s agricultural research agency), educators from the Instituto Educativo Técnico Agropecuario Indígena Cumbe (the local indigenous agricultural technical school), and members of the Fundación Pumamakes stood side by side with the Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs Association of La Boyera and staff and students from ten local schools (seven primary schools and three high schools) to celebrate Marleni’s legacy. This heartfelt gathering not only honored Marleni’s contributions to the community but also underscored the strong partnerships that have formed between research organizations, educational institutions, and grassroots groups.
Towards a Resilient and Inclusive Food Future
Taken together, these field activities paint an inspiring picture of transformation in the Gran Cumbal reserve. Through the MFL B-REAL project, the community is demonstrating a holistic approach to rural development, one that integrates education, agroecology, women’s leadership, and seed sovereignty to build a more resilient food system. Students are emerging as the next generation of farmers and seed guardians, learning the value of biodiversity and sustainable practices from an early age. Women are stepping into leadership roles, whether by managing seed banks or launching agro-tourism enterprises, showing how gender-inclusive approaches can energize a whole community. Indigenous knowledge and cultural expression are being woven into technical activities from poetry about potatoes to the revival of traditional foods, making conservation a living part of the local identity. And through it all, the principle of seed sovereignty underlies the work: the people of Cumbal are taking charge of their plant genetic resources, ensuring that the seeds which form the basis of their food and culture remain in their hands.
While challenges like climate change, market pressures, and social inequities persist, the Gran Cumbal experience offers a hopeful example of grassroots’ innovation. By strengthening local capacity – from primary schools to farmers’ associations – the community is better equipped to adapt and thrive. The seeds sown (both literally and figuratively) by these initiatives are already bearing fruit in the form of greater food security, revived traditions, and new economic opportunities. As the MFL B-REAL project continues to accompany Gran Cumbal, the lessons learned here will contribute to broader efforts in Colombia and beyond to foster biodiverse, resilient agricultural landscapes. In the high Andes of Nariño, the people of Gran Cumbal are proving that nurturing biodiversity and empowering communities go hand in hand – cultivating not just crops, but a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
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