Peru: Potato guardians deliver native seeds to strengthen food security

The seeds reached communities and producer organizations in Junín, Huancavelica, Pasco, Huánuco, Áncash, Lima, and Cajamarca. “In Huancavelica, there is a great variety of native potatoes, but not throughout the entire region. With this distribution, we want everyone to have access to them,” Tiza emphasized. He also highlighted that the distribution is done in a mix, a traditional practice that combines between 50 and 300 varieties per batch. “It’s not just one variety, but many. That’s our way of conserving them,” he explained.

Engineer Raúl Ccanto, coordinator of the Yanapay Group, pointed out that the initiative is also an act of Andean reciprocity. “From an Andean perspective, we speak of ayni. Today we give, but at some point we will also be able to receive from those who keep diversity alive,” he expressed. He also highlighted that Aguapan conserves more than a thousand varieties of native potatoes and that this action reaffirms its role as a national network of guardians.

A significant part of the distribution focused on education and knowledge sharing. “We are incorporating all the experience of conserving and recovering local knowledge through the schools,” Ccanto commented. The seeds reached 30 schools in Huancavelica, one in Cajamarca, four in the Nor Yauyos-Cochas Landscape Reserve, as well as schools in Jauja and Quilcas.

“Young people are seeing how to get more involved with their parents and with the organization so that conservation is much more genuine,” he added.

The leaders of the initiative agreed on the urgency of passing the Native Seeds Law, promoted by the seed advocacy group, to protect and disseminate the genetic heritage of native potatoes. “We call on consumers and the government to support farmers so that these seeds remain in the hands of Peru’s guardians,” Tiza stated.