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Back to their Roots - Bolivia
In the Andean mountains of Bolivia, potatoes (papas andinas) have been grown among rural communities for generations as a staple crop. Local, culturally rich varieties abound. However, these varieties are increasingly under pressure as standardised, mass-produced varieties take the agricultural world by storm. With the help of agricultural research institutions, the rural communities of Bolivia are re-introducing local varieties, which not only restore their cultural heritage, but also provide economic benefits. They have developed a resistance to disease that other varieties lack, and with improving access to markets, traditional varieties are now more popular then ever with consumers.
Potato Production in Bolivia
Most potato production in Bolivia takes place in the Andean highlands and valleys. A relatively small amount is produced on the tropical plains near Santa Cruz. Potato production areas in the highlands have an altitude greater than 3600 metres above sea level (masl), with a dry and cold climate. The mean temperature is about 10ºC, and mean rainfall is between 500 and 800 mm/year. The soils are alkaline, with an abundance of sodium carbonate (northern highlands), and clay (central highlands).
Potato production areas in the valleys have an altitude between 600 and 3500 masl, with a temperate climate, where mean temperature ranges from 15ºC to 20ºC, and mean yearly rainfall from 350 and 700 mm. Most of the potato production is located in the valleys. The most important highland potato production zones are Omasuyos, Camacho, Los Andes, and Ingavi in the department of La Paz; and Abaroa in Oruro.
Potato planting in the highlands is done during the months of October and November, but it depends on the altitude and humidity of the different zones.
Some of these regions have frequent frosts and droughts. In the valleys, the planting generally takes place in June and July. The main potato crop in the highlands is planted under dry farming conditions on hillsides, where no mechanisation is possible, and where all work is done by hand and oxen. On the highland plains, frost risk is high, and the potatoes planted are mostly bitter species such as S. juzepzuckii, S. curtilobum and S. ajanhuiri. These species need to be processed before consumption and are used to make chuño (a dehydrated and/or frozen potato side dish).
The technology for potato production is rather simple. Land preparation is done with animals. Fertiliser is added at sowing time, either chemical products or manure. Women generally carry out sowing and harvesting. In the highland zone, 73 per cent of the potato production exists in rain-fed areas, and only 27 per cent of the potato production areas are irrigated.
· Land preparation
Oxen provide the most commonly used traction for pulling simple stick (pole) ploughs to prepare the soil. This work is done after the rainfall period has finished, generally during March and April, or before planting in October. In some regions farmers use tractors, which they rent, to prepare the soil. The use of stick ploughs means that soil tillage is very shallow.
· Planting
The main crop is planted during the summer season from mid-October to mid-November. The furrows are made by oxen and the fertiliser is distributed in the furrow by hand. Seed potatoes are placed in the bottom of the furrow by hand, and then covered in manure. Finally the furrow is covered again, using an oxen-pulled plough.
· Cultural practices
The two most common practices carried out by all farmers are ridging (to prevent excessive overland water flow) and weeding. The first is done by hand when the plants are about 15 cm high. Weeding is carried out at the same time, which also acts as the final ridging.
· Control of pests and diseases
The use of insecticides and fungicides is common, but most farmers do not have access to sufficient resources and therefore not apply the right doses, and at a frequency of application that is less than required by the crop.
· Harvesting
Some farmers cut the haulms while still green and harvest early in order to get better prices on the market, but the majority of the potato growers harvest their potatoes in April or May, after frost has killed the haulms. This work is mainly done by hand, although sometimes they use the plough to loosen the soil.
Native species and varieties of potato abound in Bolivia. They are called imillas, phinus, pichuya, phureja, and runa. The predominant species in the highlands is Solanum tuberosum ssp. andigena. In the highest, frost prone production zones, S. juzepzuckii, S. curtilobum and S. ajanhuiri are planted. In the humid eastern highlands S. phureja occurs. In the lowlands, Solanum tuberosum ssp. tuberosum is planted. Native varieties include Sani-Imilla, Imilla Blanca, Runa, Imilla Negra, Choquepitu, Waych'a. In the valleys, the Runa variety dominates, along with some tuberosum varieties, such as Apha and Radosa.
Andean Species
Many Andean species with edible roots and tubers play a major role in potato-based farming systems. These crops are of great economic and nutritional importance to subsistence Andean farmers, and are often used as substitutes for expensive fruits and vegetables in the diet. They are known in the Quechua Indian language as achira, ahipa, arracacha, maca, madhua, mauka, oca, ulluco, and yacón. Of particular importance in Bolivia are the ahipa and ulluco varieties.
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| © Practical Action / Annie Bungeroth |
· Ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa)
Ahipa, a close relative of the popular jícama of Central America, has received little agronomic attention to date. The crunchy roots are usually eaten raw in snacks and in salads. The seeds contain an alkaloid which can be used as an insecticide. The nutritional value of ahipa is higher than that of many other root crops in terms of protein. Mass selection is performed by farmers every year. This has improved the crop's growth, yield, and earliness. Ahipa cultivation is known only in Bolivia but it is threatened by genetic erosion.
· Ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus)
Ulluco, of the Basellaceae family, is one of the most widely grown and economically important tuber crops in the Andean region. As with its close relative, the tropical Malabar spinach (Basella alba), the leaves are edible. They are known to contain high levels of protein, calcium, and carotene; a spoonful of cooked leaves can provide a considerable part of a child's daily requirements of essential nutrients. They are also popular in lowland cities far away from production zones.
Genetic Resource Conservation
Indigenous crops that are presently cultivated by rural communities in many parts of the world constitute important genetic resources for those communities. Due to advances in modern agricultural technology and the expansion of agriculture into previously uncultivated lands, which has occurred out of the control of rural communities, a great deal of this material is in danger of disappearing very quickly. In Europe and other industrialised regions, some genetic resources have already disappeared, giving a warning about the potential for loss in the developing world. Plant breeding programmes that are now colonising the majority of agricultural lands are usually limited in scope; the genetic base of the materials used is generally narrow and common to all varieties. This reduces the variety of species, which creates a risk of intensive damage to the crops by pests and diseases. It is necessary to introduce a larger genetic variability in the cultivated varieties in order to protect them in the event of epidemic diseases.
Communities that still follow their traditional cultural and social practices often act as guardians of valuable indigenous breeds. These groups frequently live in remote areas and the role of their crops goes beyond subsistence and economic purposes; it includes important social, ritual and religious functions. The genetic resources stewarded by such communities may retain important and undiscovered genetic characters that no longer exist in breeds selected only for productivity. Since these communities are important stakeholders in genetic resources, intensive consultation with them is essential for arriving at a complete picture of the state of the world’s animal genetic resources.
Genetic resources, therefore, should be conserved and used by peoples’ organisations. Rural communities, organisations and co-operatives are an excellent means of co-ordinating the preservation of genetic resources, as they have historically been the collectors, curators and breeders of those resources. Genetic variability has been cultivated for thousands of years through the work of rural agricultural communities, and is evidently well preserved by them. Support for conservation among rural communities is a highly efficient means of preserving and making rational use of resources.
Genetic resource conservation programmes should therefore accommodate the following considerations:
· Genetic resources have economic, cultural, social and political values;
· Genetic resources are associated with the knowledge of rural communities and it is necessary that researchers recover and understand this great reservoir of knowledge;
· The collection and conservation of genetic resources are a means for their rational utilisation.
PROINPA
Recognising the importance of these issues, the Potato Research Program (PROINPA) in Bolivia has encouraged in situ conservation of potato varieties. In situ conservation is concerned with maintaining plant populations in the habitats in which they occur. For agricultural crops such as potatoes, in situ conservation refers to the habitat where the crops developed their distinctive properties. This is usually in farmers’ fields.
| PROINPA started its activities in 1989 through an agreement between the Bolivian government, the Swiss government, and the Peru-based International Potato Centre (CIP). The first phase was conducted from 1989 to 1991, with two more phases, 1991-94 and 1994-98. |
In Bolivia, the local varieties of potato are being studied for their hardiness properties in the harsh Bolivian conditions. Where they are complemented by resilient forage crops during rotation, the annual incidence of the disease can be reduced from 40 per cent to 1 per cent. Thus, PROINPA has been working with local farmers’ groups, such as the Native Potato Producers’ Association (APROTAC), to encourage the adoption of forage crops such as purple clover and alfalfa. Planting purple clover is known to improve the soil, because the roots have special nodules that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These bacteria can grab nitrogen from the air in the soil and make it available to the plant. When the clover plant decomposes it makes that nitrogen available to the soil. Alfalfa is popular among farmers who keep livestock, which favour the plant and help to control pests.
APROTAC
The municipality of Colomi (Province I Veneered, Department of Cochabamba), is very diverse in climates, ecological flats and cultivations. The wealth of cultivations and existing varieties in this Municipality, is conserved the farmers that maintain it for many generations behind, because they are part of their daily diet.
To improve the conservation of local varieties existing in the municipality of Colomi, the farmers of the Candelaria zone, in co-ordination with PROINPA, formed the Asociación de Productores de Tubérculos Andinos de Candelaria (APROTAC). They decided to devise a catalogue where they document and evaluate local knowledge about potato harvesting. The catalogue shows agricultural information referring to performance, productivity, storage, zones of production, and the cycle of cultivation for various varieties. The qualities of each variety for the market are also identified, along with their culinary uses and quality. The catalogue also provides information on how to identify certain varieties through the colour of the skin, pupa, flower, chalice and stem.
The catalogue is of great importance for Andean farmers, as it documents all existing information on native biodiversity. This documentation provides local communities with the ownership of the genetic resources. |
By encouraging farmers to re-introduce local potato varieties in conjunction with forage crops during fallow periods, PROINPA fosters improvements in the health of the crops and of the families as well as conserving seed varieties. Having evolved over years of cultivation, the local varieties are often more resilient to local pests and diseases. Among the diseases of economic significance are late blight, bacterial wilt, rhizctoniasis and the potato wart. The occurrence of these diseases is determined according to favourable climatic conditions for their development and the presence of susceptible crop varieties. It has been shown that local varieties have developed a resistance and become less susceptible.
Food Chain
PROINPA does not simply help farmers to conserve their cultural varieties, but also facilitates the development of retail markets for their potato crops. PROINPA recognises the need to improve the links to markets as well as the performance of the potatoes in these markets. According to PROINPA, the potato food chain in Bolivia has faced several problems. The marketing sector, whether existing through traditional networks or modern supermarkets, shows serious deficiencies regarding the quality of product presentation. Damage caused by weevil, moth, fungus and other diseases is evident. At supermarkets, the situation in which potatoes are displayed differs strongly to the way in which a substitute product, such as pre-packed pasta or noodles, is managed.
“These potatoes were grown by our grandparents and great grandparents. Before, we’d keep these native potatoes for our own use and we’d eat them on special occasions like festivals and birthdays and we didn’t ever sell them in the markets…We went to the supermarkets with samples, which we’d carefully bagged and labelled so they could try them out. Then, about a week later they came back to us and said that they’d liked them there in the city. “
Martín Ortíz, APROTAC |
Further Information
References
Guadin, A. (2005). ‘Andean potatoes in Europe’. Latin America Press. Available from: http://www.latinamericapress.org
/article.asp?IssCode=&lanCode=1&artCode=4264
Querol, D. (1992). Genetic Resources: A Practical Guide to Their Conservation. London: Zed Book Ltd.
Participating Organisations
Centro Internacional de Papa
P.O. Box 1558
Lima 12
Peru
Tel: +51 1 349 6017
Fax: +51 1 317 5326
E-mail: Webmaster-CIP@cgiar.org
Website: http://www.cipotato.org/news_index.asp
International Plants Genetic Resources Institute
Via dei Tre Denari 472/a
00057 MACCARESE (Fiumicino)
Italy
Tel: +39 06 61181
Fax: + 39 06 61979661
E-mail: ipgri@cgiar.org
Website: http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/index.htm
PROINPA
P.O. Box 4285
Cochabamba
Bolivia
Tel: 591 4 436-0800
Fax: 591 4 436-0802
E-mail: proinpa@proinpa.org
Website: http://www.proinpa.org/
Donor and Supporting Organisations
Department for International Development (DFID)
1 Palace Street
London SW1E 5HE
UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7023 0000
Fax: +44 (0)20 7023 0019
E-mail: enquiry@dfid.gov.uk
Website: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/
Resources
Food and Agriculture Organisation
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00100
Rome
Italy
Tel: +39 06 57051
Fax: +39 06 570 53152
E-mail: fao-hq@fao.org
Website: http://www.fao.org/
Practical Action Technical Information Service
Schumacher Centre for Technology & Development
Bourton Hall
Bourton-on-Dunsmore
Warwickshire CV23 9QZ
UK
Tel: +44 (0)1926 634462
Fax: +44 (0)1926 634401
Website: http://www.practicalaction.org/
?id=technical_information_service
ITDG Publishing
Schumacher Centre for Technology & Development
Bourton Hall
Bourton-on-Dunsmore
Warwickshire CV23 9QZ
UK
Tel: +44 (0)1926 634501
Fax: +44 (0)1926 634502
E-mail: marketing@itpubs.org.uk
Website: www.itdgpublishing.org
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