The “fruit lord” that saves the forgotten tropical fruits of Colombia

From his home to Bogotá, with a simple video camera and a lot of passion, Gian Paolo Daguer He is fighting a silent but vital battle: Save the autochthonous tropical fruits of Colombia from oblivion and extinction. In a country that hosts beyond 3,000 food speciesmany of which also unknown to its own inhabitants, Daguer – 47 -year -old environmental engineer – created one Voluntary and non -profit network For recover and spread rare fruits seeds.

Now known as the “Lord of fruit”Daguer uses social media Like Instagram, where his project “Frutas de Colombia” has collected over 77,000 followers, to tell The characteristics, flavors and curiosities of forgotten fruits. Thanks to simple and didactic videos, it describes fruits such as the lúcumawhich externally resembles a coconut nut but inside it recalls a yellowish avocado with a sweet and particular taste.

Next to his online activity, he also coordinates Chat on WhatsApp where farmers, biologists and cooks they exchange knowledge and seeds. The fruits are shipped via courier to those who require them, paying only the postage. The goal is twofold: preserve biodiversity and educate the population on the natural wealth of the country.

A perfect example of Citizen Science

The phenomenon has also attracted attention to the scientific world. Daguer contributed to the official classification of Quinguejoa dark bracket similar to blueberry, originally from Nuquíon the peaceful coast. Discovered through social media, it has become the subject of a university study. A perfect example of Citizen Sciencein which traditional and academic knowledge meet to preserve nature.

Many of these fruits have been forgotten due to the deforestationof the diffusion of globalized diets and decades of armed conflictwhich broke the links with local culinary traditions. In fact, what is not cultivated or consumed, risks disappearing.

The chef Antonuela Arizaa collaborator of Daguer, introduced these fruits to his Mini-Mal restaurant, using for example Camu-Camu, Copoazú or Guayaba Agria in innovative dishes. Thanks to this network of fans, Colombian biodiversity slowly returns to flourish, fruit after fruit.