En el Laberinto de las Semillas Hortícolas

The Constitution of Ecuador declares that food sovereignty is one of the strategic objectives of the State. This is defined as the right of the people to produce food to meet the needs of their community, region and country, as well as the ability to decide on the production process. This study analyzes the control of horticultural seeds at the global level, presents data on imports of these seeds in Ecuador, and shows that the country is totally dependent on such imports. Through two case studies (La Esperanza, canton Pedro Moncayo; and San Joaquín, canton Cuenca), it is shown that local seed production is viable, reactivates the economy and generates quality local employment. The analysis also concludes that there are no public policies specifically aimed at solving the lack of access to and production of vegetable seeds at the national level. There are, however, some programs, especially at the level of decentralized autonomous governments, that support agroecological reduction (which has an important horticultural component). Therefore, it is urgent that public policies be developed to support the production of non-hybrid horticultural seeds in the country, so that farmers are able to save them and reuse them in successive planting seasons.