Ñu’u Ndito

Ñu’u Ndito is a collective of 25 small-scale farmers in Mexico practising the traditional milpa farming system, with a focus on the cultivation and conservation of native, coloured cotton.

Seeing the damage caused by reliance on agro-chemicals and burning fields, the founders of Ñu’u Ndito started searching for alternatives. Working together this
collective has:

  • Trained in ecological agriculture.
  • Defined its own ecological standards.
  • Produced a manual presenting ecological methods for production of native corn and cotton within the milpa system.
  • Developed a participatory certification system for ecological agriculture production, which certifies their work on a whole-farm basis.
  • Taken all necessary steps toward forming an independent cooperative.
  • Participated in the co-development of a system to locally produce GMO-free native cotton seeds in five natural colours.

The group seeks to diminish the occurrence of GMO contamination of cotton in Oaxaca. It passionately wants to conserve both the local wild populations and cultivated varieties because they provide valuable fibre and form an important part of the cultural identity in the area. It collaborates with Khadi Oaxaca, an artisan collective which buys the majority of the cotton for use in producing artisanal textiles.

Ñu’u Ndito has just harvested the first generation of GMO-free cotton seeds from its greenhouse, which is the result of a unique collaboration with the researchers and students at the Autonomous University of Mexico. Now, Ñu’u Ndito can start planning for the expansion of the conservation program via the installation of living seed banks in multiple communities.

  • Community, Ecosystems
  • 2025
  • Young Projects
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Photo: Ñu’u Ndito

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