Projects

Fostering diversity in central high Andean systems: Institutional Innovations for In Situ Conservation and Agrobiodiversity Utilization.

This project supports the self-organization and in situ conservation of 50 custodian farmers in five regions of Peru: Huánuco, Pasco, Junín, Huancavelica and Lima, associated as AGUAPAN (Asociación de Guardianes de la Papa Nativa del Centro del Perú). The Dutch seed company HZPC disburses an annual fund to each custodian as part of “benefit sharing combined with social responsibility". These funds are expected to encourage the conservation of local potato varieties and subsidize the annual meetings of all cycles and quarterly meetings of its board of directors and regional representative.
In addition, the project is documenting the unique heritage (genetic, social and cultural) maintained by AGUAPAN members, as well as institutional learning, strengthening their self-organization as the basis for innovating in situ conservation of local potato varieties and derived benefits. Through the project, the recognition, conservation and utilization of small potato farmers’ knowledge systems is fostered; in addition to AGUAPAN’s institutional sustainability and capacity to influence policy.

Resilient soils and landscapes

Soils play and will play a key role in fertility and as a buffer against climate change.

This project, funded by the Mcknight Foundation, researches and provides incentives and training for soil improvement through the installation of fodder in agricultural and high Andean areas that are used for livestock grazing. This project provides training for the protection and recovery of degraded soils.

Building short-circuit markets for the conservation of native potato agrobiodiversity in the central highlands of Peru.

Funded by the Embassy of New Zealand Chile, the objective of the project is to organize a short-circuit marketing platform for native potatoes, connecting AGUAPAN’s farmer partners who offer their native potato mixtures with customers. Tons of mixed native potatoes (“chaqru") from a dozen farmers from three regions of Peru were sold in the 2020 season. Immediate payment was made to the farmers at a price 100% higher than that obtained locally; the price obtained in Lima covered transportation costs from the farm to the city, within the city and distribution to customers. The sanitary crisis postponed to this phase the training on supply quality issues and the management of the collective brand registration, taxpayer registration, bank account opening, and use of marketing documents.

Benefit Sharing: Retribution for Agrobiodiversity Conservation (AGUAPAN)

Financed by HZPC and AGRICO who provide a fund to the association of native potato custodian farmers (AGUAPAN), who receive direct payment. is based on the notion that the needs of each family are different.

The Yanapai Group, together with INIA, the SPA, and CIP, provide technical support and support in the decision-making process of the association of native potato custodian farmers (AGUAPAN), without making any use of the funds.

Use of wild relatives to combat climatic extremes. 

This project in its phase III subscribes the collaborative agreement between the International Potato Center and the Yanapai Group, in order to evaluate and select the pre-improvement genetic material, so called because it began 15 years ago looking for new genes to combat the frog, and this material resistant to frog (Phytophthora infestans) is now being evaluated by farmers in Junin and Huancavelica to identify clones with potential to meet local criteria and climatic conditions. Phase III is to release and scale up the two clones identified in the previous two phases.

This activity is aimed at the sustainable development of the Colpar community, an annex of Quilcas, in the province of Huancayo.

The community of Colpar has carried out activities with tourism potential on its own initiative. A diagnosis of the natural, cultural and social resources has been made, which has shown that Colpar has the territorial and cultural conditions (to be a tourist destination that has been called the “Catalina Huanca Route", in addition to having several ecological floors, forest areas, agricultural production, dairy, and fairs) plus a cuisine made with local products.