CREATING FOOD RESILIENCE
AND CULTURAL HERITAGE PRESERVATION
Be part of it;
What we can do together!
YOU ARE PART OF IT!
Create Food Forest that preserves nature and provides food security helping to eliminate hunger and poverty creating an environmentally friendly and sustainable global food system with indigenous communities and farmers.
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Pathways for natural and cultural preservation using art, ancient sacred wisdom, science, and communications with permaculture principles: Earth care, People care, and Fair share.
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By 2030, we can bring together more than 1 million people out of risk of hunger and poverty, protect humans and thousands of animals by establishing more than 10,000 food forests, and plant more than 8 million trees.
WHY IS IT CALLED
THE HEART OF THE WORLD?
It is called the Heart Of The World because of the health of the Sierra and its complex ecosystems balance the health of the entire world.
It is a natural pyramid of snow, a special mountain by the sea, over 5.600 meters high and millions of years old, the largest coastal mountain in the world. The Sierra has all the thermal floors represented, from tropical heat to perpetual snow.
A reserve of the biosphere and World Heritage Site. It is a network of ecosystems that balance the natural ecosystem of the world. The home of countless forms of life. It is a sacred site that protects four indigenous communities that are responsible to preserve the spiritual balance of Mother Earth.
Their sacred task is to teach the divine laws to maintain harmony with nature. They are the guardians of the earth, our older siblings, the ones preserving the ancestral knowledge that is INVALUABLE FOR HUMANITY.
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According to the ancient belief, the territorial order is defined by what is called the Black Line, a ring of interconnected sacred sites. The Black Line surrounds the entire territory of the Sierra, weaving, connecting, wrapping and securing the standards for human life on earth and maintaining the balance and harmony with the earth. From the base where the rivers meet the sea, the savannahs, valleys, hills, ridges of mountains, gorges, springs, ponds, up into the snowy peaks and the Gonawindúa mountain, to each one and the infinite universe. It is through these connections that the life of the Sierra and the world remains. Each sacred site has an environmental function, containing the rules for human life on earth and maintaining balance and harmony with nature.
“Along this stretch of coastline, you have a microcosm for whats is happening in the Caribbean and also on the rest of the planet, their view that all these sites are connected and the activities of destruction here are having an impact at large scale in the world are right".
Alex Rogers, World leader in marine biology.
Who are we?
THE TEAM!
We are a non-profit foundation dedicated to preserving Nature & Ancient Wisdom.
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NATURE
Together with indigenous peoples, we are cultivating food forests to provide food resilience and heal the planet with regenerative organic agriculture; through trees, specialty coffee, and ceremonial cacao. We are an impact community doing climate actions to protect and restore our ecosystems. Reforesting degraded areas cultivating agroforestry systems, protecting native forests, one tree at a time, empowering farmers and consumers to create a better future through better farming creating long-term solutions for some of the biggest issues of our time, including the climate justice crisis, factory farming, neocolonization, and fractured rural economies.
CULTURE
Born as a transmedia project that is focused to send a positive message to humanity. We started with the idea to make a series of short films and a feature documentary preserving, documenting, and sharing the stories and messages of the ancestral wisdom of our native peoples in Colombia that is invaluable for humanity. The project focuses on the idea that art can touch and move hearts, beyond that it is one of our most precious ways to plant consciousness in the times that we are living in with cultural projects of art like films, photography, design, music, events, and education.
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FOUNDER & CEO
Santiago Roa Duque, is a creative director, producer, filmmaker, and ecology researcher from Colombia working on environmental, social, and cultural topics. Founder of Jaguar Siembra focuses on creating cultural projects and food forests, planting trees that tell the stories of our native people’s preserving nature and ancient wisdom.
CO-FOUNDER & CFO
Bettina Plainer, born and studied architecture in Austria. Came to Colombia through travels and an exchange year in the National University of Colombia. Focused on the topics of earth and bio construction in various regions worldwide, urbanism and informal settlements. Nature lover and Co-Founder of this project.
AMAS LA SIERRA COFFEE
Ruperto Chaparro & family, indigenous leader, born in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, is the founder of Amas La Sierra a self-founded specialty organic coffee company with more than 60 families working together with us in the Coffee for Biodiversity project.
FOREST GUARDIAN
Virginia Crespo, indigenous leader, born in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, is the forest guardian for the project in Bunkwimake, she is in charge of the logistics to take care of the trees to nurture with water and love with José and the family.
PROJECT MANAGER IN BUNKWIMAKE
Diana Villafaña Crespo, indigenous leader, born in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, is the project manager of the project in Bunkwimake, she is in charge of the logistics and our communication with the reforestation team. She is studying medical nursery in Santa Marta.
MAMU SPIRITUAL LEADER
Francisco Chaparro. Father of 13 children. His job has always been to love the Sierra Nevada, its children, and teach them how to care for nature. Farm work, especially coffee production has been an inspiration to create new friendships with lovers of coffee and nature. born in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, is the founder of the Amas La Sierra project in Sogrome.
ADVISOR & REFORESTATION PARTNER
Reinel Villafaña, an indigenous leader, born in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, is the initial waver with the spiritual leaders to ask the permission to start the project, he is a special connector between us and the elders. Grandson of "Duane" is one of the most respected leaders from the heart of the world.
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REFORESTATION PARTNER
José Villafaña, indigenous leader, was born in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, sub-director of Tayrona of Bunkwimake District Ethnoeducational Institution. Member of the Aruhuaco community, local forest partner, and founder and director of the native tree nursery. Supporting the project together with his family.
JAGUAR SIEMBRA COLOMBIA
José Sarralde, is a cultural leader and entrepreneur from Colombia, founder, and CEO of the start-up project Jaguar Siembra Colombia S.A.S with a base in Bogotá that serves as a complementary company for the regenerative, cultural, and community projects.
Why planting trees is important?
EVERY TREE COUNTS!
We need 22 trees a day to complete the amount of oxygen that a human consumes.
One tree can absorb toxic gases and recycle it into fresh air, of about 100 cars.
Forests produce oxygen and fresh air, they regulate the water circle under the earth, the rain, creating micro-climate that are increasing the underground water preserving fresh water supply.
A forest provides food, refugee, medicine and a lot more natural products, that are indispensable for humans and animals.
Today we lost 80% of our natural forest on the planet.
Forests are the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Only 30% of the earths surface are forests. Those are bio-diverse systems that create and protect life, maintaining the balance of the ecosystem.
