Despite rapid advances in information technology that has, in theory, the potential to dramatically improve the flow of information on successful experiences and research findings in Indigenous Biocultural Territories to other indigenous communities and policy-makers, communication and interaction between indigenous peoples themselves is inadequate. The workshop aims to overcome the challenge using a Contact Learning Zone framework, allowing geographically and historically separated peoples to come into contact and establish on-going relations, creating a horizontal and democratic space for intercultural practice. Indigenous peoples from different biocultural territories will come together to inquire and learn about how to establish and manage an Agrobiodiversity Centre.

The shared colonial history of participating indigenous peoples has created legacies of coercion, inequality and conflict. The Contact Learning Zone will overcome these legacies by using the following principles:

·    Sharing
·    Solidarity
·    Participatory knowledge discovery
·    Cooperative management of knowledge
·    Fostering of interdependent horizontal networking

Within this space, local methodologies which continue to play a critical role in technology transfer in all regions of the world will be used. They rely on group interactions for facilitating learning and transferring information and technology in a horizontal and reciprocal manner.