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‘Water‑sowing’: When science and ancestral knowledge join forces to fight drought in the Venezuelan Andes

This ancestral practice combines reforestation, soil conservation, and the protection of frailejones — the tall, fuzzy Andean plants that harvest water — to capture fog and rain, recharge aquifers, and ensure the flow of rivers

Andrea Hernández Briceño

Mérida - May 03, 2026 - 06:00CEST

Ligia Parra, who leads the “water sowing” efforts, walks toward a new wetland that farmers have discovered in the Andean páramo of Venezuela. These ecosystems absorb rainwater to feed rivers and lagoons, regulate the climate, combat drought, and preserve biodiversity at more than 3,000 meters above sea level.Andrea Hernández Briceño

During the ritual on March 28, a group of farmers, parents, and children forms a circle around the spring to begin the “water‑sowing” ceremony. It is an environmental conservation strategy that protects the Andean ecosystem and secures water supply from two fronts: ecological measures and community‑spiritual practices.Andrea Hernández Briceño

Children, their parents, and several farmers watch as Ligia Parra, the water‑sowing practitioner, sprinkles brown sugar onto the soil during the ceremony, standing beside Caroly Higuera.Andrea Hernández Briceño

Crops in Venezuela’s páramos, mainly in Mérida and Táchira, are centered on cold‑climate vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, garlic, and strawberries. They are grown at very high altitudes.Andrea Hernández Briceño

Ligia Parra has spent 24 years protecting, tending, and reforesting the wetlands, while also preserving the ancestral knowledge of Venezuela’s Indigenous communities.Andrea Hernández Briceño

During the ceremony, Parra and the children offer green coconut, sea salt, and flowers to Mother Earth. “Water‑sowing used to be practiced in secret,” she recalls. Andean communities are deeply religious and tend to reject any activity that falls outside Christian norms. “My nonna [grandmother] taught me how to do it. She was of Misintajeo Indigenous origin.”Andrea Hernández Briceño

Camilo Peña rings the small bell as part of the ceremony. The high‑páramo region of the Venezuelan Andes was once a site for hunting and for the magical‑mystical rituals practiced by pre‑Hispanic Indigenous communities.Andrea Hernández Briceño

Biologist Raquel Romero closes her eyes during the “water‑sowing” ritual. She also works to protect the micro‑watersheds that supply local communities. She explains that the cattle grazed in the páramo trample the wetlands, compact the soil, and affect the diversity of the plants that capture mist to retain water.Andrea Hernández Briceño

According to participants, the “water‑sowing” rituals help connect communities with the wetlands and protect the páramo ecosystem from drought.Andrea Hernández Briceño

Antonella Ramírez arranges the flowers in the wreaths for the “water‑sowing” offerings in Misintá, Venezuela.Andrea Hernández Briceño

“For us farmers it’s even more important, because if we have soil and seeds but no water, there is no life,” says Néstor Monsalve. In the image, a child carries a basket with the flower wreaths, honey, and sea salt used in the ceremony.Andrea Hernández Briceño

Children in the community are included in the ritual so they can learn to care for and respect the environment.Andrea Hernández Briceño

Farmers become “guardians” of the water to foster collective awareness of the value of wetlands. In the image, water‑sowing practitioner Ligia Parra.Andrea Hernández Briceño

Farmer Jorge Luis Santiago washes his hands before lunch after taking part in the ceremony.Andrea Hernández Briceño

The water‑sowing ritual is only held during the waxing crescent moon.Andrea Hernández Briceño