A growing population, changing climate, and constantly evolving pest pressures have for many years highlighted the importance of genetic diversity in food and crop systems. This is especially true in the Peruvian Andes, most famously known as the birthplace of the potato. Because of the harsh conditions under which the crop originated, maintaining a diverse gene pool is extremely important to maintaining a resilient and sustainable food system. Traditional genetic diversity conservation methods come in two basic forms – ex situ, where genetic material is removed from the site and stored, and in situ, where genetic material is being continually propagated “on farm” or shared in living form within the community. In my research, I wanted to connect agricultural conservation with the conservation of culture surrounding the cultivation of these crops. Mirroring genetic conservation methods, I looked at in situ versus ex situ preservation of Kichwa and Aymara language and musical tradition using two case studies. My findings show that a combination of in situ and ex situ methods are required to maintain a useful body of information, by both preserving the past and maintaining living, changing knowledge. The next step for this research would be to perform interviews and gather data directly through fieldwork in Indigenous communities of the Andes, particularly in government-designated Agrobiodiversity Zones to investigate how scientific conservation methods interact with cultural conservation. I would like to know how preservation of cultural knowledge affects the conservation of genetic diversity through cultural farming practices and knowledge of crop species.
Author: Grayson Plotner, Botany
Advisor: Caroline Shipley, Spanish & Portuguese
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