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Indigenous Agreement
Just over a year ago a historic agreement was signed between the International Potato Center (CIP) and the indigenous communities of the Andes, brought together in the ANDES organization (Association for Nature and Sustained Development), thanks to which the seed banks were opened up to bring tubers and roots home to their countries of origin. "This agreement will ensure that genetic resources and knowledge remain under the custody of local communities and do not become subject to intellectual property rights in any form". This treaty, the first of its kind in the world, intends to be a benchmark and has given a clear signal against the privatization of genetic resources.
The indigenous people are the traditional custodians of the biological diversity of their homeland and their rural communities. There are hundreds of producer communities in Peru and other parts of the Andes dedicated to the sustainable cultivation of local products. One example is the San Marcos community, in the Cajamarca region, which produces a huge variety of Andean potatoes and other tubers, including manioca and local roots like sweet orange camote and mashua. The community is part of the Terra Madre Food Community. Do you know other similar communities? Tell us
(16/06/2006)
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