Conservation of native colored cotton in Oaxaca

Ñu’u Ndito is a small group of indigenous farmers on the coast of Oaxaca. We are producing and conserving native colored cotton in its site of origin in rain-fed plots intercropped with native corn using regenerative farming practices. Our ancestors have cultivated cotton here for thousands of years. The five colors of fiber currently available are used to produce hand-spun, hand woven textiles for homeware and clothing and in the process, the preservation of cultural traditions.

Throughout Mexico, this species (Gossypium hirsutum) has become contaminated with GMOs, which is harmful to insects thus affecting the surrounding environment and also debilitating the plants’ resilience in the face of climate change. We are concerned about the environment, the native and wild cotton and ourselves as we don’t want to lose our heritage seeds to the corporation who owns the biotechnology involved in the contamination.

In response, we built a greenhouse to protect plants that test negative for GMOs, which are producing clean seeds. Once we have a significant number of seeds, we will start planting these in our fields, thereby continuing with our ancient, native seed lineage without risking harm to the environment.

We need immediate help to maintain the project while we find new alliances and major funding to support our work. Your donation will help pay for up to one year of plant care, seed harvesting, insect monitoring, data collection and re-testing for GMOs.