104 Ingrid Hall
time, it would be better supported, which could help to improve the quality of
landrace seeds used by peasants and to develop a specific market for them. In
these two cases, ANDES managed to situate national debates within international trends and mobilized important alliances that made the government withdraw. For the moment, however, concrete results are few and far between as far
as the Park is concerned: the Park was only recognized by the State in 2020 and
the regulation on ancestral seeds still has not been ratified. The summer of 2018
seemed a promising time, but the chaos of Peruvian political life in recent years
has once again delayed the implementation of these measures. In 2022, we do not
know if the new government of Pedro Castillo will be of any help on this subject,
despite the agrarian reform it has initiated.
Given that the State does not recognize the concept of Sumaq kawsay and
that Peruvian society tends not to recognize the Andean population as indigenous,
27 the particular ontologies held by peasants in the Park do not make for a
promising argument at the national level, at least not from an institutional perspective. With the arrival of multicultural policies, the concept of “culture” is
more significant. Negotiations are under way between the Park and the Peruvian
Ministry of Culture for the recognition of a specific “life plan”. This translates
into a showcasing of stories and rituals linked to the potato, as well as traditional
clothing, in other words, the valorization of classic cultural elements. Thanks to
the social capital it has gained on the international stage, the NGO ANDES has
indirectly become an important actor on the national scene.
At a local level, the Park represents various economic opportunities. Peasants
from the communities are marginalized and have limited means, while their
needs have increased significantly over the last few decades. They now have
to pay for electricity and mobile phones, their children go to school for longer
periods and their wants and needs have changed accordingly
28 . These economic
opportunities are welcome, especially from women. Emphasizing biodiversity
and its conservation attracts a well-informed public, whose presence generates
revenues through guided activities, participative rural tourism, the sale of handicrafts, and the sale of meals. All of these activities are organized by the communities, benefiting those who are directly involved, but also contributing to
a common fund that serves to finance certain activities and expenditures (up
to a maximum of 10%). The “Biocultural protocol” previously mentioned (see
Argumedo, 2012 and ANDES et al., 2012)stipulates the rules for the division of
profits that results from the various activities.
The emphasis on Sumaq kawsay has other kinds of effects locally. In particular,
it gives rise to festivities organized for National Potato Day, when a ritual, known
as Papa watay, dedicated to “tying down” the souls of freshly harvested potatoes, is
performed (Hall, 2022). Certain tensions surface on this occasion. On one hand,
Protestant converts are uneasy with this ritual that they have abandoned. If they
take part, it is because the community takes part as a collective. On the other hand,
for the Catholics, the event allows for a revalorization of the ritual and of knowledge and practices that were formerly experienced as stigmatizing. In these ways,
time, it would be better supported, which could help to improve the quality of
landrace seeds used by peasants and to develop a specific market for them. In
these two cases, ANDES managed to situate national debates within international trends and mobilized important alliances that made the government withdraw. For the moment, however, concrete results are few and far between as far
as the Park is concerned: the Park was only recognized by the State in 2020 and
the regulation on ancestral seeds still has not been ratified. The summer of 2018
seemed a promising time, but the chaos of Peruvian political life in recent years
has once again delayed the implementation of these measures. In 2022, we do not
know if the new government of Pedro Castillo will be of any help on this subject,
despite the agrarian reform it has initiated.
Given that the State does not recognize the concept of Sumaq kawsay and
that Peruvian society tends not to recognize the Andean population as indigenous,
27 the particular ontologies held by peasants in the Park do not make for a
promising argument at the national level, at least not from an institutional perspective. With the arrival of multicultural policies, the concept of “culture” is
more significant. Negotiations are under way between the Park and the Peruvian
Ministry of Culture for the recognition of a specific “life plan”. This translates
into a showcasing of stories and rituals linked to the potato, as well as traditional
clothing, in other words, the valorization of classic cultural elements. Thanks to
the social capital it has gained on the international stage, the NGO ANDES has
indirectly become an important actor on the national scene.
At a local level, the Park represents various economic opportunities. Peasants
from the communities are marginalized and have limited means, while their
needs have increased significantly over the last few decades. They now have
to pay for electricity and mobile phones, their children go to school for longer
periods and their wants and needs have changed accordingly
28 . These economic
opportunities are welcome, especially from women. Emphasizing biodiversity
and its conservation attracts a well-informed public, whose presence generates
revenues through guided activities, participative rural tourism, the sale of handicrafts, and the sale of meals. All of these activities are organized by the communities, benefiting those who are directly involved, but also contributing to
a common fund that serves to finance certain activities and expenditures (up
to a maximum of 10%). The “Biocultural protocol” previously mentioned (see
Argumedo, 2012 and ANDES et al., 2012)stipulates the rules for the division of
profits that results from the various activities.
The emphasis on Sumaq kawsay has other kinds of effects locally. In particular,
it gives rise to festivities organized for National Potato Day, when a ritual, known
as Papa watay, dedicated to “tying down” the souls of freshly harvested potatoes, is
performed (Hall, 2022). Certain tensions surface on this occasion. On one hand,
Protestant converts are uneasy with this ritual that they have abandoned. If they
take part, it is because the community takes part as a collective. On the other hand,
for the Catholics, the event allows for a revalorization of the ritual and of knowledge and practices that were formerly experienced as stigmatizing. In these ways,