Declaration of the territory of the Cotacachi canton, Ecuador, as cultural heritage for agrobiodiversity

The declaration of the territory of the Cotacachi canton, Ecuador, as cultural heritage for agrobiodiversity was started in 2010 and accomplished in 2014, following years of preparatory work done by the Unión de Organizaciones Campesinas e Indígenas de Cotacachi (UNORCAC), an association of farmers’ and indigenous peoples’ organizations, in collaboration with the Municipal Government of Cotacachi. The main objective is to promote agrobiodiversity conservation, along with related traditional knowledge and ancestral practices, as a strategy to defend collective economic, social and cultural rights of the indigenous communities of Cotacachi. Core components include the declaration of the territory as cultural heritage for agrobiodiversity and approval of a safeguard plan. The latter supports research and monitoring of agrobiodiversity; restitution of local seeds; training for seed producers and seed exchange fairs; marketing of agrobiodiversity products, valorization of traditional cuisine and gastronomic fairs; value addition to native crops; as well as awareness building and educational activities. Lessons learned include that actions taken should be led by participating peasant organizations; there should be a clear priority on farmers’ needs, especially needs of women farmers; furthermore, cooperation with research organizations is essential; research should have a direct and immediate relationship with farmers' needs.