The conservation and equitable access to the seeds that safeguard our agricultural biodiversity is not just a technical issue—it is key to ensuring food security and adapting to climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean. The region holds nearly 50% of the world’s biodiversity, produces food for approximately 1.3 billion people, and is a center of origin and diversification for essential crops for the global food supply, such as maize, potato, beans, cassava, tomato, and cocoa. 

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework recognize the importance of conserving the genetic diversity of crops and promoting their sustainable use. Colombia’s experience shows that implementing this international framework requires coordination, technical support, and financing, which in turn opens opportunities for productivity, innovation, and market access. For the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), these opportunities are directly linked to priorities such as climate resilience, reducing rural inequalities, and biodiversity conservation. In this regard, projects funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are a key mechanism for translating this international commitment into territorial action. 

The GEF–UNDP initiative “Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in dry ecosystems to ensure the flow of ecosystem services and mitigate deforestation and desertification processes” was implemented between 2014 and 2019 in the tropical dry forest, under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, in coordination with Regional Autonomous Corporations and community organizations. This initiative integrated the ecological restoration of 1,548 hectares with the strengthening of 10 agrobiodiversity value chains, improving the livelihoods of 495 families and strengthening governance. These efforts demonstrated that the recovery of native seeds is a strategy for climate resilience and local development. 

Montes de María stood out for the strength of its social organization, which drove profound transformations through the recovery of 17 varieties of native beans, organically grown colored yams, and native vegetables by strengthening community-based organizations. It was not the only territory transformed; similar interventions were carried out in other areas of the Caribbean and in the inter-Andean valley of the Magdalena River. 

In Montes de María, farmers’ associations such as ASOBRASILAR and ASOMUDEPAS in San Jacinto (Bolívar) took a leading role in the multiplication, conservation, and exchange of seeds, as well as in organizing supply and connecting with buyers. As a result, traditional and native species regained a central place in both diet and the local economy. Various native bean varieties—such as pintado, cabecita negra, diablito, and negrito—which had been at risk of disappearing, were revitalized. 

The recovery of pigeon pea (guandul), yam, traditional maize varieties, and seasonings characteristic of the dry forest—such as sweet chili and wild cilantro—was also promoted, all of which are essential to the region’s culinary identity. This process strengthened the intra-species diversity available to communities, reduced dependence on external seeds, and enabled production to adapt to increasingly variable climate conditions. 

This approach was successfully replicated in territories such as Dibulla (La Guajira), Aipe (Huila), and Natagaima (Tolima), where agrobiodiversity initiatives were linked with cocoa and other agroforestry products. This breadth demonstrated that conservation can be adapted to different ecological contexts while maintaining a common objective: improving livelihoods while restoring ecosystem functions. 

Project support enabled seeds to move beyond subsistence use and become part of differentiated markets, generating income, employment, and cultural recognition. Around one thousand people—50% women and youth—led nurseries and enterprises, while participatory monitoring strengthened landscape governance. 

By 2026, several years after the project’s closure, the associations remain active, the dry forest is preserved, agroforestry systems persist, and seed exchanges continue. These dynamics provide evidence that approaches combining institutional capacity, local governance, and community knowledge are sustainable and can transform international agreements into lasting food security and sovereignty, multifunctional restoration, and territorial peace.