In Colombia, home to around 850 native Colombian potato varieties (second only to a handful of Andean neighbors), commercial pressures on types such as R12, betina, and pastusa have driven many local strains toward extinction.
Alfonso Enrique Chinguad, a Pastos Indigenous guardian, counters this trend by maintaining more than 130 varieties in his modest home in vereda Tasmag, Resguardo Indigena del Gran Cumbal, in the Nariño department. Resilient crops thus persist in high páramos, high-altitude wetlands under climate threat.
His holdings encompass familiar Colombian pastusa and criolla potatoes alongside rarer chauchas, small colorful potatoes, and guatas, larger white-skinned varieties suited to storage.
Stored in simple costales, traditional burlap sacks, these seeds multiply through community exchanges. Ancestral knowledge here merges with modern documentation, preserving traits lost elsewhere.
Recovery efforts sustain Andean potato diversity
This personal effort forms part of a broader recovery initiative that Chinguad and community members have pursued decisively. They recovered 72 Colombian potato varieties, 25 maize types, and 47 beans using participatory workshops and five-cell groups, small farmer circles that test and swap seeds.
Collaborations with Agrosavia, Colombia’s agricultural research corporation, cataloged over 150 potatoes and 50 Andean tubers in the Cumbal Indigenous reserve.
Shagra systems, traditional highland farming plots, define these efforts as paramo agroecosystems between 2,900 and 3,500 meters. Guachado tillage, manual digging with wooden tools, shapes small plots under 600 square meters. 16% of families cultivate at least one native variety, pairing it with maize, beans, and quinoa for stable yields.
Chinguad y su comunidad se pusieron en la tarea de recuperar la gran variedad de papas que habĂa en Colombia y que estaba desapareciendo. 🔗👇 https://t.co/49LTauc9Nj
— El Espectador (@elespectador) February 8, 2026
In reality, this in situ conservation revives Pastos knowledge. The group classifies tubers as chauchas (65%, small colorful types) or guatas (35%, larger white varieties). Studies reveal seven morphological clusters with distinct origins and traits.
Agrosavia inventories provide precise data. Alba Nora Sanchez Bernal and Fabio Ernesto Martinez Maldonado lead the work, documenting traits for future use.
Nevertheless, skeptics observe that absent market channels, diversity may decline despite guardians’ commitment.
Threats challenge local resilience
These gains face serious headwinds from climate and markets. Climate frosts threaten crops. Fitosanitary issues add pressure. Seed networks and agroecology offer mitigation.
Chinguad’s home functions as a living bank; tubers await planting seasons to restore fields.
Meanwhile, Boyaca’s Tasco municipality mirrors these steps. Campesinos test over 10 varieties at different altitudes. Adaptation to climate forms the goal. Catalogs target 2026 completion. This demonstrates scalability beyond Nariño.
CREPIB, Boyacá Indigenous Peoples Food Sovereignty Council, experts advocate organic shifts. Chemicals yield to methods enhancing health and soil. AgroquĂmicos residues persist in conventional areas. Uniform commercial types dominate demand.
However, industry voices highlight structural gaps. Public procurement favors imports over locals. In reality, this sidelines native options despite nutritional value. ProColombia trade experts note similar patterns in quinoa and maize preservation.
Guardians of Colombian potato point to national potential
Such local successes point toward national potential amid erosion risks. The community song “Hijos de Tierra Sembrador” binds culture to practice. It echoes ancestral ties amid modern threats. Chinguad’s daily oversight ensures multiplication cycles. Simple costales hold stocks through dry periods.
On the other hand, Agrosavia observers warn of genetic erosion. Over 200 varieties vanished nationwide since 2000. National bank data confirms the trend. Nevertheless, resguardo models counter this through collective custody.
Pastos classifications guide selection. Chauchas suit boiling; guatas endure storage. These distinctions, passed orally, now enter formal records. Workshops train youth in identification, ensuring continuity.
External partnerships bolster capacity. International Potato Center groups support inventories. Their input aligns local efforts with global standards. For Colombians, this means resilient staples against food insecurity.
The truth is, guardians such as Chinguad represent Colombia’s agrobiodiversity strength, and Chinguad’s work prevents genetic loss, enabling resilient varieties to emerge for local diets and potential markets.