Community reconstruction of biocultural landscapes. Application in the Kokonuko Indigenous Territory

To reverse the socioecological impacts derived from the Green Revolution in the indigenous territory of Puracé (Colombia), an agroecological transition proposal elaborated by the Kokonuko community through participative action research is presented with a respectful approach to the indigenous knowledge of this community and their Cabildo. Reversing the detrimental consequences of industrial agriculture requires reducing dependence on non-renewable energy inputs and their replacement with nature-based solutions based on biocultural heritage of the community. This study compares traditional agricultural management based on ethnobotanical characterization, biophysical energy analysis, and landscape evaluation, describing the different agricultural systems that compose the basis of the proposal for this agroecological transition carried out with the Kokonuko people. The results show that traditional management from socially integrated polyculture of some pilot farms is multifunctional, high agro-diverse, food-sovereignty and traditional medicine oriented. Besides, it has a high energy efficiency compared to industrial monoculture management more related to agrochemicals and direct production to the market. The performance of traditional management in the indigenous territory, previously optimized in pilot farms, would facilitate the reconstruction of biocultural landscapes, strengthen indigenous governance, and recover traditional multifunctionality that assured food sovereignty of the community that was the depository of indigenous knowledge. The conservation of seeds by the community is essential to generate a global transformative change towards sustainability. •Recovery of ancestral biocultural landscapes in an agroecological transition context.•A new procedure combining traditional knowledge and scientific methodology is applied.•Ethnobotanical characterization, biophysical analysis & landscape ecology evaluation.•Traditional management from socially integrated polyculture farms is multi-functional.•Best practices are agro-diverse, food-sovereignty & traditional medicine oriented.•Conservation of native seeds is essential to generate a global transformative change.