In the mountains of Colombia’s central Andes, between the deep green of coffee plantations and sugarcane fields, lies an ancestral treasure that pulses with the rhythm of the earth: native seeds. Our journey takes us to the municipality of Río Sucio, in the department of Caldas, where a story of resistance and hope sprouts from the furrows of small farms and Indigenous heritage.

At the heart of this land is the Cañamomo and Loma Prieta Indigenous reserve, home to the Seed Guardians Network. Here we meet María Velma Echavarría, a woman who calls herself a “reformed agronomist.” With over 15 years leading community processes, Velma embodies the strength of those who defy the pressures of industrial agriculture to protect the life that emerges from seeds.

For those defending this cause, seeds are far more than an agricultural resource. They are seen as living beings connected to nature and the cosmos — roots that have sustained humanity since its earliest settlements. Seeds are spirit, memory, and resistance.

Velma’s personal journey reflects this transformation. The daughter of farmers, she grew up among crops, but it was during her university studies that she fully grasped the devastating impact of agrochemicals. This realization prompted her to rethink her professional path. The sight of poisoned fields and degraded lands awakened in her a conviction to find a different way to farm.

Together with her partner, also an agronomist, they acquired a small plot of land and decided to change their approach to farming. They sought out the elders of the reserve, who preserved native varieties, and learned from their ancestral wisdom. Unlearning conventional practices to relearn from local knowledge became the cornerstone of their project. They realized that producing healthy food goes beyond technique: it’s a regenerative process that restores life to the land.

The Seed Guardians Network emerged as a quiet yet steadfast resistance to the Green Revolution and its uniform monocultures. Farmers from the municipality preserved traditional seeds, even when everything seemed to push them toward forced modernization. They kept their crop diversity alive, defending the food sovereignty of their communities.

The agro-industrial system has pushed the idea that GMOs and chemicals are the only way to feed the population. However, the guardians’ experience proves otherwise: it’s possible to sustain families and communities healthily and sustainably, without relying on patented seeds or agrochemicals.

Velma and other leaders believe the key to the future lies in involving young people. If more youth join this cause, there will be hope. The seed not only feeds the body; it nourishes the soul and spirit. And as long as guardians protect it, the possibility of regenerating life — one plant at a time — will remain.

From Río Sucio, among the furrows of the land and the voices that resist, one thing is clear: seeds are not only the beginning of agriculture. They are the beginning of life itself. And in the hands of guardians like Velma, they will continue to beat — alive and free.