Andes

Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Context

The Andes region is the origin of many crops and has a long history of domestication. The area is known for high agricultural biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and crop-livestock systems that date back millennia. The high mountain ecosystem is characterized by many fragile micro-environments that are prone to soil erosion and threatened by climate change. Traditional production systems are being stressed to meet increasing food demand and income needs, and glacial melt is reducing water resources for irrigation. Some national governments in the region are interested in abiotic and biotic local climate change indicators which could be used to help communities adapt to climate change, and some are also placing more emphasis on on traditional farming knowledge and exploring mechanisms to incorporate it into mainstream research and development programs.

Strategy

The Andes community of practice (CoP) encompasses Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru and counts among its members a wide range of partners, including research institutions, farmer groups, non-governmental organizations, and government agencies. The CoP supports integrated and diverse production systems that embrace conservation and native agricultural biodiversity. Funding is directed toward conservation of agricultural biodiversity, breeding and variety selection, seed systems, integrated crop and pest management, risk management and climate variability, nutrition, soil fertility management, and market development.

Raising the profile of traditional knowledge and understanding its relationship to scientific research are key goals of the Andes CoP. The CoP is funding projects to determine the strengths and shortcomings of existing systems of traditional agriculture knowledge and the extent to which they can be adapted on a large scale. In response to government interest in local climate change adaptation strategies, several CoP projects are researching biological indicators and will be producing data and evidence to contribute to scientific and policy discussions on this issue.

Because many CoP members are development organizations, there is a strong emphasis on the connection between research and development in terms of outcomes and impacts. The CoP focuses on strengthening projects’ capacity to use mixed research methods, build tighter collaborations between social scientists and biophysical scientists, and increase rigor around data collection and analysis. The CoP strategy emphasizes more structured social science research and provides targeted support.

Group

Projects

Active
	AEI/ PAR Studentship A Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to Assess Monitoring and Evaluation in a Farmer Research Network (FRN) in Bolivia 15-259
	Agrobiodiversity and Nutrition II Sowing the Andean diet: Escalating the use of agrobiodiveristy to improve child nutrition in communities in Huancavelica. 14-092
	Alternative Food Networks (AFN) Alternative Networks of Production and Consumption: Facilitating rural-urban encounters to strengthen Local Healthy Food Systems 16-097
	Biannual Meeting Biannual Meeting for strengthening agricultural research for an inclusive rural development in Peru and its neighboring Andean countries (Ecuador and Bolivia) 16-101
	Community baskets III Promoting Alternative Food Networks to Strengthen Local Healthy Food Systems: Experiences of Linking Farmers and Consumers’ Organizations 14-143
	Ecological Consumers of Cochabamba Ecological Consumers of Cochabamba 15-528
	Farmer Videos Farmer Videos 15-527
	Farmers and Food Assistance Linking small-scale farmers to food assistance programmes 15-109
	Food Sovereignty Integrating Child Nutrition to Family Farming and Local Organization in the Sub-Central Sik'imira, Municipality of Vila Vila, Bolivia 14-307
	FRN Early Climate Warning Development and evaluation of tools for including local knowledge in the management of climate related risks in the Bolivian Highlands 15-473
	Laderas Participatory Development of Technological Innovations to Increase Productivity of Agricultural Soils in Depressed Andean Regions of Bolivia 13-482
	Local Markets Cuzco A Learning Platform for Building Localized Food Networks in Cusco, Peru 14-134
	Lupin IPM LEGUMIP: Adaptive and integrated management of lupine pests in social-ecological agroscapes in the Tropical Andes 16-213
	Organic Groundnut III Scaling up of innovations for safe production of native organic Bolivian peanuts, mycotoxin prevention and sustainable access to markets 13-497
	Plot Diversification Diversification of Andean Agroecosystems within Plots and Farmscapes 12-186, 13-305
	Plot Diversification II Forage and Fallows II: Expanding the impact of improved fallows and landscape management for soil fertility and ecosystem services 16-095
	Punas and Pastures III Involving Small-Scale Andean Livestock Farmers in Participatory Applied Research and Demand-Driven Innovation to Improve Rangeland Management in Peru's Cordillera Blanca 15-112
	Quinoa III Research on Alternatives for the Technological and Social Demands of the Quinoa Sector 13-498
	Yapuchiris II Extension of the Yapuchiri System for Efficient Agriculture. Operative Construction of Community Economy Models 14-133

Completed
	Agrobiodiversity and nutrition Agrobiodiversity and nutrition for the food security of the Chopccas Communities of Huancavelica 09-033
	Andean Grain III Supporting Andean Grains Productivity Increase in Communities in the Provinces of Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Bolivar, Canar and Loja, Ecuadro 14-126
	Andean grains Food security improvement for communities in the Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and Canar provinces of Ecuador through farming of quinoa, lupin, and amaranth 09-016
	Andean grains II Strengthen support for food security in communities in the Province of Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, and Canar in Ecuador, through the cultivation of quinoa, lupin, and amaranth 10-867
	Andean pests Innovative Approaches to Manage Insect Pest risks in changing Andes (INNOMIP) 09-022, 09-023, 09-026, 09-031
	Biodiversity and soil conservation Biodiversity and soil conservation: The motor for development of Chopcca communities in Huancavelica, Peru 05-112
	Biodiversity of Andean tubers Inca food: disclosing it from the Andes to humanity and the world 01-1563
	Biopesticide/potato moth Development and distribution of the commercial prototype of a biopesticide based on virus JLZ9F, to control the presence of Tecia solanivora in the Ecuadorian Andes 09-181
	Climate risk management Management of climate related risks with regards to climate and social changes 09-025
	CLOSAN - Local Food Provisions Evaluation Impact Evaluation: Supporting the capacities of local governments to improve food security and nutrition in Ecuador 12-512
	Communal agricultural risk management Management of Communal Agricultural Risks (GRAC) in the Challa Canton, Tapacari municipality 09-169
	Community baskets Community Baskets: An urban-rural platform for healthier food systems 09-955
	Community baskets II Small-scale agriculture and access to local markets: impacts on biodiversity, nutrition, and welfare of farm families 11-382
	Cover agriculture in the highland Andes Cover agriculture in the high Andes: A farmer-led research initiative 05-112
	Food security Implementation of a learning-action process in food security and nutrition for the marginalized rural zones of the Bolivian Central Andes 09-168
	Green manures/legumes Integrating agronomic and health research for enhanced food production and diets in a highly marginalized Andean region 05-112
	Lupin/quinoa Sustainable production systems to guarantee food security in impoverished communities in the province of Cotopaxi, Ecuador 05-112
	Native potato Improved production of native potatoes in the Andean highlands of Peru 05-112
	Native potato seed systems Strengthening native potato seed systems in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru 09-029, 11-249
	Nutrition support Improved health through agriculture interventions: providing continued support to two CCRP projects in the Andes 07-702
	On-farm Conservation Assessing the success of on-farm conservation projects in delivering conservation and livelihood outcomes: Identifying best practices and decision support tools 09-1100
	Organic groundnut Development of export markets for certified organic groundnut in the European Union for small scale producers from the valleys of Bolivia 09-005
	Organic Groundnut II Strategies for the sustainability of the institutional, technological, and market of producers mechanisms in the valleys of Bolivia linked to groundnut agribusiness 10-880
	Potato moth Biopesticide development and diffusion of potato moths: Integrated management to strengthen food security in the Ecuadorian Andes 05-112
	Quinoa I Sustainable production of quinoa, a neglected food crop in the Andean region 06-016
	Quinoa III Participative development and validation of Technological Innovations to reduce the vulnerability of the families of the altiplano whose sustenance is based on the quinoa and potato crops 09-1204 & 09-1205
	Quinoa sustainability Perspectives on the sustainability of quinoa production-consumption in the Peruvian Altiplano 09-1203
	SANREM Conservation Agriculture in the Andean Region of Bolivia 13-459
	Seed systems The biological foundation of food security in the Andes 05-112
	Soil nutrient budgets Putting soil nutrient budgets into practice: Policy and extension education products based on research with smallholder farmers 07-1209
	Supply security and sustainable livelihoods Financial analysis service and impact assessment of Quinoa 14-310
	Sustainable Production of Quinoa Sustainable production of quinoa, a neglected food crop in the Andean region 01-1566
	Water security Enhancing the water security of the Andean agricultural systems through the conservation of the ecosystems of the wet Puna in Northern Peru 09-032
	Water security II Enhancing the water security of the Andean agricultural systems, through the conservation of the ecosystems of the wet Puna ecosystems 10-881
	Yapuchiris Farmer research and innovation groups for sustainable agriculture. A model for the local construction of shared knowledge for productive community development. 11-381