The FONTAGRO-supported project “Varietal Supply Centres for Traditional Seeds” invited farmers from Ñuble Province, Chile, to a seminar held on 10 May in the municipality of San Carlos. Specialists from the Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) and the farmers’ confederation CONAGRO spoke about the importance of conserving traditional varieties for smallholder family farming and the opportunities they offer for producing food with a distinctive identity.

The seminar marked the start of work with communities in south-central Chile, where the project plans to set up a Varietal Supply Centre focused on maize, dry beans and winter squash. The aim is for farmers to have easy access to healthy, vigorous and well-identified local seeds, and to be able to multiply and exchange them, strengthening a seed system that belongs to the community itself.

🔗 News: #ProyectoFONTAGRO: Ñuble farmers invited to choose traditional seeds for their crops (in Spanish)
🔗 Project page (in Spanish)