Colombia's 1,500 Forgotten Seed Varieties Live in Community Seed Houses

SWISSAID Colombia's Semillas de Identidad (Seeds of Identity) project backs networks of seed custodians who conserve, exchange and sell native and creole seeds through community seed houses. By June 2025 the houses managed more than 1,500 varieties, with the project reaching 167 custodian organisations in 12 networks across 90 municipalities in 10 departments. Seed sales reached COP 195 million in 2024, up 11% on 2023, and the Escuela Semillas de Identidad had trained 195 custodians, 45% of them youth. In 2026 SWISSAID also reported recovering the native potatoes Quincha, Calavera, Manzana and Mortina with farmers in Tasco, Boyacá.