Genetic abundance high in the Andes
High in the Andes Mountains in Peru, at the heart of the origins of the potato, hundreds of farming families preserve traditional landraces and, with these, nature’s biodiversity.
Important work, for which they have received very little recognition or compensation for a very long time. Change has finally come. Since 2014, HZPC and the International
Potato Centre (CIP) have been working directly with these farmers through the AGUAPAN Association. The goal is to preserve this genetic abundance and to improve the well-being of these farmers.
Biodiversity Convention
In 1992, world leaders met for the first ‘Earth Summit’. There, they signed the Convention on Biological Diversity. In it, they agreed to preserve biological diversity, to make sustainable use of this diversity, and to share the costs and benefits of biodiversity equitably amongst countries. Before 1992, gene banks were permitted to freely collect material. The Convention put an end to that. It was also agreed that the people from which the crops originate should be compensated. This includes the Peruvian farmers.
Too much distance between farms and farmers
Stef de Haan, researcher at the CIP for the Andean region, explains: ‘In a special convention for agricultural crops, a ‘’Farmers’ Rights’’ clause was added in 2001. From that time on, farmers would receive financial compensation for the conservation of biodiversity. The intentions of these international politics were good, but, in practice, the compensation did not reach the farmers directly. The distance between the farms and farmers was literally and figuratively too great. The Indian farmers from the Andes often do not even know that such a thing as ‘’Farmers’ Rights’’ exists.’
Building bridges
For his research, Stef works extensively with local communities in the Andes. Acting as ‘guardians’, farmer families preserve as many as 50 to 300 old potato varieties each. Their living conditions are often substandard. There is a great deal of poverty, and they have only limited access to education and health care. Stef: ‘In 2014, at a meeting of the Stichting Hoogland Indianen (SHI) [Highland Indians Foundation], I tried to bridge the gap between the private sector in the Netherlands and these farmers in the highlands of Peru. So that money from the sector would go directly to them. At that time, HZPC was the only company that wanted to participate.’ With initial funding from HZPC, Stef was able to hire an anthropologist who speaks Quechua, the local language. She went to visit the farming families to see if they were actually growing these landraces. They managed, through these contacts, to organise a meeting to which they invited approximately 50 farmers. There, AGUAPAN was established, and an initial board was elected.
Modern-day treasure
Herman Verveld, Chief Commercial Director at HZPC, explains why HZPC has been involved from the start: ‘Farmers in the Andes preserve hundreds of ancient, indigenous varieties. The CIP manages this gene bank of genetic diversity. You can think of this gene bank as a modern-day treasure chest. To develop new varieties that can meet future challenges – like drought, heat, and resistance challenges – we are harking back to these traditional varieties. A good example of this is a project in Vietnam to develop new varieties that do well in tropical conditions (see box). We saw that farmers do not receive the recognition they deserve for their role in the conservation and evolution of genetic diversity. By financially supporting them directly, we give them that recognition and ensure that their living conditions improve. So that they can continue their important work.
About AGUAPAN
AGUAPAN’s board is made up of Peruvian farmers from the Andean region. This Board of Directors is guided by a support group that includes a number of organisations that provide assistance. For example, Peru’s National Agriculture Programme is looking at how to include these issues in their policies, the CIP is documenting the landraces, and the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (an NGO) is covering the legal side. Peru is divided into nine regions, and each region also has its own local group of farmers. They act as liaisons and make annual visits to farmers in their regions to check that they each still maintain at least 50 landraces. All the farmers meet annually. They exchange varieties and discuss topics such as climate change and malnutrition. What also comes up every year is how to ensure that young farmers continue to preserve the old landraces. In the meantime, AGUAPAN now has a youth branch, which is also looking into these issues.
National and international interest
HZPC makes an annual financial contribution to around 50 families. Agrico has also been participating for several years, so that another 50 families receive financial support. The farmers decide for themselves what to do with the money. For example, they can buy fertiliser, contract labourers, or use the money for healthcare or education. You can think of it as a payment for environmental services. Beekeepers, for example, also receive support. ‘There is now a waiting list, and the association has gained national and international acclaim. What’s more, the World Food Organisation is also watching with interest. It has become a model for other countries and other crops of origin, such as quinoa and cocoa. Similar initiatives are now also taking off in Chile and Colombia, for example. We can really be very proud of that,’ says Stef.
Connected to ancient landraces
What unites the older and younger generations is their passion for these traditional varieties. Stef explains: ‘We call these farmers ‘’guardians’’ or ‘’custodians’’. They are like stamp collectors. Potatoes in Peru are like wine in Spain or cheese in France. Farmers are truly connected to the ancient landraces they grow. Each area has its own varieties, which are not known in the rest of the country. It is estimated that only 1% of these varieties end up on the market; the rest are used for the farmers’ own consumption. They are used in regional dishes and are part of their traditions. Often, the names of the varieties also have local significance. You can think of it as cultural heritage.’
A totally different context
An agreement has been made which allows CIP to include the varieties in the gene bank. Should a farmer lose a variety, then CIP can return the material to the farmer. Stef calls this agreement historic: ‘Fifty years ago, we set up the CIP in the heart of the area where the crop originated, with the idea of collecting as many genes as possible for the breeders’ use. Among the farmers, there was a deep-rooted sense of exploitation; its origins could be traced back as early as Western colonialism. By now, though, the context has completely changed. It is much more about cooperation, preserving knowledge, and providing compensation and recognition to the local people. They now feel proud and valued, and they see that we are helping them preserve traditional varieties. This is very important to us,’ explains Feico.
'They still work the same way they did centuries ago, with minimal impact on the environment'
Unique in the Andes Mountains
The goal of the gene bank is to preserve varieties for centuries to come, in an effort to ensure the food security of future generations. But if you put a variety in a test tube in the gene bank, that variety will always remain the same. ‘But in the farmers’ fields, the evolution of the varieties continues on. They consciously and unconsciously select new materials. Influenced by climate change, but sometimes also by spontaneous crossbreeding. Often, the wild ancestor of the potato grows right next to a field with the cultivated potatoes. This is why we keep discovering new things. For me, as a researcher, this is fascinating. What the farmers in the Andes do is truly unique. Where biodiversity has disappeared in other parts of the world, the farmers here have kept it intact. They still work the same way they did centuries ago, with minimal impact on the environment. When researchers look for new properties for the potato, for example frost resistance or high iron content, they always go back to those old landraces. Also when it comes to sustainability properties. Because the entire potato gene pool is preserved here in the Andes,’ Stef explains.
A field guide for potatoes
It is estimated that there are as many as 3,000 unique varieties in the Andes Mountains. Stef wonders if he has enough time to document all these varieties: ‘A small part of what we have documented so far can be found on Wiki Papa, our own Wikipedia of landraces. My dream is that we can create a kind of field guide, but for potatoes, documenting all the old landraces and where they occur. I am happy with the AGUAPAN community. Together, we can continue to monitor and preserve all these landraces. And keep discovering new materials. First, in the other seven regions of Peru. And then maybe in Bolivia.’
A wonderfull succes
in Vietnam
As early as the beginning of 2023, Ruggespraak featured an article about the cooperation between HZPC, the CIP, and the Syngenta Foundation in Vietnam. The organisations in this public-private partnership are working to develop five new potato varieties that do well in tropical conditions. By joining forces, we can speed up the potato breeding and selection processes. And now, there is some very interesting and promising news to report: The first new potato variety to result from this cooperation – the HCIP210 – is a reality. A wonderful success! And within just eight years. The development of new potato varieties normally takes 10 to 12 years. HCIP210 gives high yields, has a long seed dormancy period, performs well in different conditions, and scores well on resistance to Phytophthora and PVY and PVX viruses.
Interested in reading more about AGUAPAN’s initiatives? Check out: AGUAPAN