Peach Palm (Chontaduro): a territorial fruit continuing to shape Colombia’s agrifood systems
In cities such as Cali and across Colombia’s Pacific Coast region, chontaduro needs no introduction. It is more than a food: it is identity, history, and a local economy. It is part of everyday life, culture, and daily diets. Over time, its presence has not only been sustained but has also strengthened and expanded, progressively positioning itself as a crop with potential beyond its traditional consumption.
- Climate Action
- climate change
- Genebank
Peach Palm (Chontaduro): a territorial fruit continuing to shape Colombia’s agrifood systems
In cities such as Cali and across Colombia’s Pacific Coast region, chontaduro needs no introduction. It is more than a food: it is identity, history, and a local economy. It is part of everyday life, culture, and daily diets. Over time, its presence has not only been sustained but has also strengthened and expanded, progressively positioning itself as a crop with potential beyond its traditional consumption.
Today, chontaduro is at a turning point: it has the potential to become a driver of territorial and nutritional development, and its value chain is ready to take a strategic leap. More than a food with strong cultural identity, chontaduro represents a strategic opportunity to strengthen agrifood systems in Colombia, boost local economies, and improve the population’s nutritional conditions. On this path of recognition and positioning, the next step is clear: bringing it to everyone’s table.
As part of this effort, the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT, within the framework of the Crop Trust’s Power of Diversity Funding Facility project, has been supporting a collective process around chontaduro, aimed at increasing the visibility of underutilized crops and strengthening value chains with high cultural and nutritional value. As part of this process, a validation workshop was held, bringing together actors from across the entire value chain:producers, processors, traders, researchers, and institutions—not only to analyze its current state, but also to share knowledge, contrast perspectives, and project its potential.
This space is part of a broader process that seeks to strengthen understanding of the crop from a systemic perspective, disseminate research results, and, above all, open spaces for dialogue that connect what happens at each link of the value chain.