In South America’s Andes mountain region, indigenous women have traditionally been responsible for selecting, conserving and managing seed potatoes from the countless native varieties of the crop, thus ensuring diversity and continued production while contributing to food security among their people.
The conservation of thousands of native varieties of the potato (Solanum tuberosum), each with its own unique taste, nutritional value and climate-resistant traits, has taken on greater importance than ever this year. One of the reasons behind the current global food crisis is that human survival is currently dependent on just a handful of plant species, experts warn.
The conservation of thousands of native varieties of the potato (Solanum tuberosum), each with its own unique taste, nutritional value and climate-resistant traits, has taken on greater importance than ever this year. One of the reasons behind the current global food crisis is that human survival is currently dependent on just a handful of plant species, experts warn.
Surrounded by a group of men, Natividad Pilco, a 44-year-old Peruvian woman, digs into the soil with the zeal of someone seeking buried treasure. And she finds it.
"This potato is called ‘oke suito’ (long bluish potato) and it’s good for boiling. This one here is ‘yana bole’ (round black potato) and it’s used in soups because it’s sweet,"she explains.
Pilca is a member of a group of 40 families dedicated to the conservation of native potato varieties in the highlands community of Huama, located more than 4,000 metres above sea level and a two-hour drive from the city of Cuzco in southern Peru.
It is now the harvest season, when the women of Huama accompany their husbands to the fields to help pick potatoes and to select the best ones for feeding their families.
"This potato is called ‘oke suito’ (long bluish potato) and it’s good for boiling. This one here is ‘yana bole’ (round black potato) and it’s used in soups because it’s sweet,"she explains.
Pilca is a member of a group of 40 families dedicated to the conservation of native potato varieties in the highlands community of Huama, located more than 4,000 metres above sea level and a two-hour drive from the city of Cuzco in southern Peru.
It is now the harvest season, when the women of Huama accompany their husbands to the fields to help pick potatoes and to select the best ones for feeding their families.
