Noticias

Southern Colombia is now home to community projects proving that sustainability and innovation can truly drive local development. For more than ten years, the Impulso Verde Kuaspue Foundation has been leading initiatives that combine ecological restoration, food sovereignty, and green entrepreneurship. Two concrete experiences illustrate this transition toward a more autonomous and climate-resilient economy.

Natural Cosmetics Born in the Gran Cumbal Resguardo

In the Resguardo Indígena del Gran Cumbal, the Agroecological Association Sinchimaki transforms aromatic and medicinal plants into natural cosmetic products. Since 2016, through its partnership with Impulso Verde, the community nursery has strengthened its operations and now produces more than 200,000 native seedlings per year, contributing both to ecosystem restoration and family well-being.

A decisive turning point came in 2020 thanks to support from the French Development Agency (AFD), as part of the Economic Alternatives to Deforestation initiative in Colombia. This support made it possible to:

• strengthen technical skills to produce high-quality natural cosmetics,
• structure sustainable and community-centered value chains,
• and launch in 2024 the construction of a Superadobe bio-constructed factory, whose oval shape is inspired by a leaf — a symbol of life and connection with nature.

©Awarding of the Invima production capacity certificate to the Sinchimaki factory – Impulso Verde Kuaspue Foundation, 2025

On November 21, 2025, the factory received its production capacity certification from Invima, becoming the first certified Indigenous cosmetics factory in Colombia and the first in Nariño.

For Sinchimaki, this achievement goes beyond technical recognition.

“We want to leave this legacy to our children, so it will endure from generation to generation,”
explains Socorro Cuaical, a member of the association.

The soaps, macerated oils, and other products not only generate income, but also strengthen cultural identity and collective pride.

©Delivery of chamomile and calendula for natural soap production – Impulso Verde Kuaspue Foundation, 2024

©Production of natural soaps and calendula macerated oils – Impulso Verde Kuaspue Foundation, 2024

Women Transforming Grains into Natural Foods

©Members of the Women’s Entrepreneurs Association – Impulso Verde Kuaspue Foundation, 2024

The second initiative is led by the Asociación Indígena de la Mujer Emprendedora, also part of Impulso Verde’s community nursery network. These women have found in the processing of traditional grains — wheat, barley, corn, and quinoa — a source of economic autonomy and social cohesion.

Thanks to a partnership with the RAJA Foundation and Humy NGO, the association acquired a dehulling machine that allows them to produce nutritious flours, breads, pasta, and biscuits.

This activity strengthens food sovereignty and opens new economic opportunities for rural families.

“With this partnership, we are not only planting trees; we are also sowing dignity and solidarity in our community,” says Mercedes Narváez, leader of the group.

©Packaging of different grain flours by the Women Entrepreneurs Association – Impulso Verde Kuaspue Foundation, 2024

The results are clear:

• Women’s empowerment: they lead production, marketing, and decision-making.
• A strengthened local economy: added value remains within the communities.
• Sustainable agroecological practices: traditional knowledge and crops are preserved and passed on.

Mercedes adds:

“We were born in the midst of the armed conflict, but today we live in peace. We have transformed pain into life and sown hope.”

©Grain crops – Impulso Verde Kuaspue Foundation, 2025