Public policy dialogues on innovation, ancestral knowledge and climate change were held in the Parque de la Papa
On October 8 2022, the fourth and final public policy dialogue table "Ancestral knowledge, climate change and innovation policies: steps for a common agenda", was held. Co-organized by the Institute of Nature, Land and Energy (INTE ) of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and the University of Sheffield with the support of the NGO Andes, it involves the participation of representatives from the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Culture and the International Potato Center. Participants traveled to the city of Cusco to meet with the members of the Potato Park of the district Pisac and Parque Chalakuy in the district of Lares and learn about their experiences working with innovation.
This activity was the last in a series of four roundtables that have been implemented for more than a year, as part of the research project which seeks to make visible the contributions of innovation by Indigenous peoples in the face of climate change. This generated spaces for reflection and dialogue on the role of ancestral knowledge in innovation policies.
Potato Park: a model of innovation and adaptation to climate change
The members of the Potato Park, made up of the Andean Communities of Chahuaytire, Paru Paru, Pampallacta and Amaru, presented their governance model and the strategies they have been carrying out to deal with the impacts that climate change is having on their communities. Representatives from the communities explained “We have a batch of potatoes that are being monitored to find out which ones have the greatest resistance or which ones we have to remove completely. We are doing this because we want to understand what factors are pushing us to move, because potatoes grew up to 3,800 meters above sea level 30 years ago. ”, according to one resident.
Thanks to the support of the NGO Andes, a seed bank has been implemented for the conservation of native potatoes, in addition to installing meteorological stations. One of the residents of the area explained: "...we have established points from the bottom of the Park, 3995 meters above sea level. We have a block and every 100 meters we have a hub that has basic equipment that measures temperature, precipitation and relative humidity, the most basic of climatic variables.”
As of 2020, the Potato Park has managed to be certified and recognized as an Agrobiodiversity Zone by the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI) in order to promote the conservation and sustainable use of native species cultivated by Indigenous peoples. However, it is still necessary to carry out joint work with the State to advance the action plans, recognising them as leaders, technological experts and promoters of change in their communities, and in the strengthening of local technical capacities.
The importance of dialogue
This has been an important space for meeting and reflecting on the needs of Indigenous peoples, the importance of intersectoral and interinstitutional articulation to support communities in their fight against the impacts of climate change and to recognize the work they have been doing around innovation.
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