{"id":28998,"date":"2026-09-15T15:10:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T21:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.landuum.com\/interventions\/native-and-creole-seed-exchanges-where-and-why\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T15:10:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T21:10:47","slug":"native-and-creole-seed-exchanges-where-and-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.landuum.com\/en\/plantae-and-fauna\/native-and-creole-seed-exchanges-where-and-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Native and creole seed exchanges: Where? and Why?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Roxana Gonz\u00e1lez-Ball presents <\/span>Native and creole seed exchanges: Where? and Why?<\/b> a text that highlights the importance of creole seeds for the agroecological food system and humanity. Native seed exchanges are collective environments where diverse genetic material and knowledge about their cultivation and storage are shared.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In my opinion, attending these exchanges becomes a great responsibility in return for the vital role of creole seeds in our agroecological food systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

I can say that there have been various spaces that I have visited in search of these givers of life: markets, festivals (INIA 2007, 12, 14), neighbors, family members, and protests linked to socio-environmental struggles. Even during the pandemic, I used the postal service, my garden, and other projects. If I could portray these moments, they would be filled with emotions such as wonder, gratitude, affection, respect, recognition, that foster a sense of hope and collectivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Altar, encuentro agroecol\u00f3gico de occidente 2025, San Ram\u00f3n\/ Altar, western agroecological gathering 2025, San Ram\u00f3n
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Eber V\u00edquez Le\u00f3n<\/p><\/div>\n

I traveled as far as 300 km, crossing almost half of the territory of Costa Rica, to a seed exchange. The retribution was great: I brought diverse genetic material to my garden \u2014squashes, beans, chilies, quelites or PANC\u2014 and shared them at other events. These variants could bring resistance, keeping climate change in mind. My friend Fanny, Seed Guardian, tells me: Ah! you are marrying them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Intercambio de semillas, junta de trabajo en parcela San Andr\u00e9s\/ Seed exchange, work meeting at the San Andr\u00e9s plot
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Jahel Quiros Soto<\/p><\/div>\n

These collective environments span from seed altars on the ground, decorated with beautiful tablecloths, flowers, fibers, and baskets, which bring to mind the implements used in the countryside, during the harvest, or in the kitchen \u2014everything is highly symbolic! I could translate the event into a true ceremony, where participants, with a certain sense of reverence, place this precious gift and leave a little note with their information, while other seeds remain anonymous\u2014something that could be improved.. We also consult and interact with visitors, showing them a small handful of seeds. Another possibility is the use of decorated tables, with the seeds placed inside jars or paper bags, in open stockings, or scattered across the tablecloth. Common elements include food vendors and music, which help foster conversation around the seeds.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mesa y mandala, San Mateo-Costa Rica\/ Table and mandala, San Mateo, Costa Rica
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Ana Chac\u00f3n-Mercado de la Tierra<\/p><\/div>\n

Creole seed exchanges constitute a symbiosis of knowledge and connections, as well as an opportunity to rescue and perpetuate varieties, while promoting food sovereignty.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In my opinion, a creole seeds exchange is accompanied by a symbiosis with diverse forms of knowledge about their cultivation, storage, and the connection between the cooking\u2013recipes duo. It is also a space that provides an opportunity for the recovery of lost varieties, community cohesion (the gathering), and the promotion of food sovereignty (Cababi\u00e9 et al. 2015, 126\u2013127).<\/span><\/p>\n

We see the power that creole seeds exert over humanity: they perpetuate their species and are a source of food. As the biocultural heritage of peoples, they are always accompanied by a \u201csack of knowledge,\u201d the fruit of domestication that has taken place since the birth of agriculture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bibliography:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cababi\u00e9, Javier, Mar\u00eda Margarita Bonicatto y Esteban Abbona. \u201cSemillas y saberes de los agricultores familiares. \u00bfCu\u00e1l es el rol de las ferias de intercambio en su reproducci\u00f3n y conservaci\u00f3n?\u201d. <\/span>Revista de la Facultad de Agronom\u00eda La Plata<\/span> 114, no. 1 (2015): 122-128.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instituto Nacional de Investigaci\u00f3n Agraria (INIA). <\/span>Mecanismos tradicionales de intercambio de semillas<\/span>.<\/span> Lima, Per\u00fa: Instituto Nacional de Investigaci\u00f3n Agraria, 2007. <\/span><\/p>\n

Bio of the author<\/b><\/p>\n

Roxana Gonz\u00e1lez-Ball, biologist, natural resource management. Interests: Food sovereignty, plants (PANC), creole seeds, and urban gardens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Agroecological Garden Grigarones Project. Blog: https:\/\/aquaponiajard.blogspot.com\/<\/span><\/p>\n

Member of Slow Food Farms and the Agroecology Network of Costa Rica.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Roxana Gonz\u00e1lez-Ball presents Native and creole seed exchanges: Where? and Why? a text that highlights the importance of creole seeds for the agroecological food system and humanity. Native seed exchanges are collective environments where diverse genetic material and knowledge about their cultivation and storage are shared.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":489,"featured_media":28997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-plantae-and-fauna"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t