100 Ingrid Hall
this landrace for the offender. This reflects the fact that in Andean conceptions
of the body, whether human, animal, or vegetable, vital energy or animu must
“go” (“puriy”) around the body, that is, it must circulate properly, neither too fast
nor too slowly, for an individual to be in good health (Bastien, 1985; Hall, 2012).
The way that ANDES represents conservation thus takes inspiration from
the concepts held by the local population, which are well-documented ethnographically. The uniqueness of the ANDES vision rests upon its identification of
hybrid communities (ayllu) and its stated need for reciprocal relationships (ayni),
and thus, upon an ontological model that is an alternative to modern naturalism.
The NGO assigns these aspects to Sumaq kawsay while emphasizing an Andean
spirituality that manifests through stories and rituals. This vision bypasses the
influence of Catholicism, despite the fact that those rituals are carried out by
people who self-identify as “Catholics”. It excludes some local conceptions, such
as local classificatory schemes and agricultural practices that ANDES has documented, but have mostly stayed in the organization’s archives as raw data in the
form of video recordings or reports. We see that the promotion of this alternative
ontological model implies a series of choices, whose logic will be the topic of the
following section.
Conservation Issues at Local, National, and International Scales
The formulation of this alternative to the dominant ontology has a particular
intention, which takes its meaning from a multi-level governance of biodiversity.
This section explores these various levels starting with the international, which
is central to the discussion.
As Alejandro Argumedo explains, the work of ANDES must be understood
in an international context; it is this context that makes it meaningful. His role
in the NGO is to coordinate activities at the international level by taking part
in various events, building partnerships and networks. This also allows to raise
funds to finance the NGO’s activities and the conservation activities at the heart
of Potato Park. The Park has a particular importance in matters of worldwide
biodiversity governance. As it focuses on in situ conservation and the role of
local and indigenous populations, the CBD and, more specifically, the working
group on article 8( j) are particularly interesting. Since the 1970s, following the
Meadows report by the Club of Rome, international institutions have set up
organizations to conserve agrobiodiversity, which has drastically declined in the
face of mechanized agriculture and the increasing specialization of the seed sector (Bonneuil & Thomas, 2009; Halewood et al., 2013). In this context, ex situ
germplasm banks were created in order to conserve the biodiversity of the most
cultivated and consumed plants; the International Potato Center in Lima, which
holds the main germplasm bank for tubers and roots, is one of these. However,
these mechanisms are not wholly satisfying, since the genetic diversity collected
in this way benefits, at no cost, the selection processes of private seed enterprises
with no consultation with, or recompense for, the people who contributed to
this landrace for the offender. This reflects the fact that in Andean conceptions
of the body, whether human, animal, or vegetable, vital energy or animu must
“go” (“puriy”) around the body, that is, it must circulate properly, neither too fast
nor too slowly, for an individual to be in good health (Bastien, 1985; Hall, 2012).
The way that ANDES represents conservation thus takes inspiration from
the concepts held by the local population, which are well-documented ethnographically. The uniqueness of the ANDES vision rests upon its identification of
hybrid communities (ayllu) and its stated need for reciprocal relationships (ayni),
and thus, upon an ontological model that is an alternative to modern naturalism.
The NGO assigns these aspects to Sumaq kawsay while emphasizing an Andean
spirituality that manifests through stories and rituals. This vision bypasses the
influence of Catholicism, despite the fact that those rituals are carried out by
people who self-identify as “Catholics”. It excludes some local conceptions, such
as local classificatory schemes and agricultural practices that ANDES has documented, but have mostly stayed in the organization’s archives as raw data in the
form of video recordings or reports. We see that the promotion of this alternative
ontological model implies a series of choices, whose logic will be the topic of the
following section.
Conservation Issues at Local, National, and International Scales
The formulation of this alternative to the dominant ontology has a particular
intention, which takes its meaning from a multi-level governance of biodiversity.
This section explores these various levels starting with the international, which
is central to the discussion.
As Alejandro Argumedo explains, the work of ANDES must be understood
in an international context; it is this context that makes it meaningful. His role
in the NGO is to coordinate activities at the international level by taking part
in various events, building partnerships and networks. This also allows to raise
funds to finance the NGO’s activities and the conservation activities at the heart
of Potato Park. The Park has a particular importance in matters of worldwide
biodiversity governance. As it focuses on in situ conservation and the role of
local and indigenous populations, the CBD and, more specifically, the working
group on article 8( j) are particularly interesting. Since the 1970s, following the
Meadows report by the Club of Rome, international institutions have set up
organizations to conserve agrobiodiversity, which has drastically declined in the
face of mechanized agriculture and the increasing specialization of the seed sector (Bonneuil & Thomas, 2009; Halewood et al., 2013). In this context, ex situ
germplasm banks were created in order to conserve the biodiversity of the most
cultivated and consumed plants; the International Potato Center in Lima, which
holds the main germplasm bank for tubers and roots, is one of these. However,
these mechanisms are not wholly satisfying, since the genetic diversity collected
in this way benefits, at no cost, the selection processes of private seed enterprises
with no consultation with, or recompense for, the people who contributed to