Native Colored Cotton Rescue Project in la Costa Chica of Oaxaca, Mexico

Mexico is the country of origin of Gossypium hirsutum, which is the species of cotton used in 95% of the world´s production. The coast of Oaxaca, Mexico is one of 11 sub-sites of origin where wild and cultivated, native cotton are still found. Farmers and artisans have been cultivating native cotton here for nearly 5,000 years. A handful of artisans still use traditional methods such as the drop spindle and backstrap loom to create textiles from native colored cotton.

Ñu’u Ndito (living Earth in Mixteco) is a group of 25 farmers from six municipios in the Costa Chica cultivating and conserving native colored cotton along with native corn and other food crops. The work began in 2011 with the dual purpose of re-learning sustainable farming practices and rescuing native cotton for use by artisans who identify with the colored fiber.

In 2019 Ñu’u Ndito entered into collaboration with Dr. Ana Wegier, a molecular biologist at Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM) who detected GMO contamination in their seeds. An experimental greenhouse was constructed as a living seed bank of four distinct colors at Centro de Aprendizaje Rural en Tecnologías Apropiadas (CATA), a campus extension of the Universidad de Chapingo in the region where Ñu’u Ndito works. Here they are growing out the cotton plants that tested negative for GMOs at the UNAM laboratory in Mexico City. As of May 2025, 34,000 GMO-free seeds have been harvested from the greenhouse for distribution to the Ñu’u Ndito farmers.

In recognition of this daunting and important work, Ñu’u Ndito recently received an award pertaining to the 2025 Lush Spring Prize for regenerative agriculture. This years’ Spring Prize competition received over 600 applications, which were whittled down to a shortlist of 58 and a final list of 19 winners. All shortlisted and final results can be explored on the Spring Prize website: springprize.or

A portion of the prize will fund the continuing work with native seeds. By reducing the incidence of GMO contamination in the form of herbicide and Bt resistance we reduce the mortality rate of insects who are important to wild and cultivated plants’ life cycles.

Guaranteed sales of cotton to Khadi Oaxaca have been essential to solidifying the farmers’ commitment to ecological practices and formed the basis for establishing the new cooperative, whose goals include increasing the number of farmers practicing regenerative agriculture in the region and developing a commercial enterprise that supports the on-going initiatives of Ñu’u Ndito.

The work of Ñu’u Ndito and their allies demonstrates the hope and scope of Regenerative Agriculture. A full circle is drawn starting with native seeds, cultivated by traditional farmers in the site of origin using agroecological practices, working in association with academics and artisan-business partners, to create an end-product which is used by local artisans to carry on making traditional and innovative textiles with ancestral technology, preserving cultural identity and culminating in the generation of income for everyone involved so that they can continue farming, studying, spinning and weaving.

You can support the Ñu’u Ndito cooperative and the clean-seed program via Gofundme:

English/USD:  https://gofund.me/f390f0ea 
Español/pesos: https://gofund.me/3ac0ef27

Submitted by
Margaret Mac Sems mdmacsems@gmail.com
+52 951 219 3111 (Whatsapp)