Panarchy of an indigenous agroecosystem in the globalized market: The quinoa production in the Bolivian Altiplano

Abstract

Agricultural globalization is blamed for destructive impacts on small farms in developing countries. Yet, many local societies are proactive in the face of these changes and show high adaptive capacity. Investigating their transformations with an integrative perspective and enough hindsight may reveal some of the bases of their resilience and adaptive capacity. Using field data and the panarchy concept of resilience theory, we analyzed the territorial and social dynamics of quinoa growers' communities in southern Bolivia over the last four decades, a case study of regime shift in a poverty-stricken rural society which deliberately entered the global food market. Linking the dynamics of the household economy to the territorial and social subsystems over several decades, we gained insights into the interactions that shaped the rise of quinoa production in the region. We found that a vivid tradition of mobility allowing for pluriactivity on- and off-farm, combined with community self-governance, explains how local populations succeeded in articulating individual agency with collective control over their commons of land, seed resources, and social rules. Our vulnerability analysis points to landscape homogenization, social inequity, and increased dependence on external factors as potential sources of unsustainability. We conclude that, to cope with the changes of unprecedented magnitude they are facing, local producers should retain social cohesion and autonomous governance, without giving up on their heritage of mobility and economic redundancy. As regards theory, we identified cross-scale subsystem configurations critical for regime shifts, and confirm the value of panarchy in capturing complex socioecological dynamics. (Résumé d'auteur

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.): An Overview of the Potentials of the “Golden Grain” and Socio-Economic and Environmental Aspects of Its Cultivation and Marketization

“…Values reported in g 100 g −1 edible portion-Fresh weight basis ranged as follows: protein (9.1-15.7 g), total fat (4.0-7.6 g), and dietary fiber (8.8-14.1 g) while the moisture content of quinoa is reported to be around 15%. In their report of the data, the majority of entries (68) were from samples from South America-mainly from Peru and Bolívia (the biggest producer of quinoa in the world)-followed by data from Europe (23) and Asia and North America (six each). This reflects the traditional production of quinoa in South America but also the expansion of its production worldwide [17].…”

“…For example, in the framework of land management, Carimentrand and Ballet underline the connection between the arrival of tractors and land clearing as form of land appropriation, having a considerable impact on land ownership patterns in the Southern Altiplano of Bolivia [67]. Connected to the appropriation of communal lands, Winkel and colleagues highlight the dynamics between the quantitative patrimonialization of lands, reaching its limits in space, and the qualitative patrimonialization, which is needed in the future in order to "improve cropping practices, and negotiate comprehensive agreements for using common land resources" [68] (p. 201). For this reason, addressing extensive agricultural practices raises the need to tackle the topic of governance of local resources as well [68][69][70].…”

“…Connected to the appropriation of communal lands, Winkel and colleagues highlight the dynamics between the quantitative patrimonialization of lands, reaching its limits in space, and the qualitative patrimonialization, which is needed in the future in order to "improve cropping practices, and negotiate comprehensive agreements for using common land resources" [68] (p. 201). For this reason, addressing extensive agricultural practices raises the need to tackle the topic of governance of local resources as well [68][69][70]. In addition, soil erosion [71,72] or poor seed placement [72] can be risks of mechanization, too.…”

Rain-fed agriculture thrived despite climate degradation in the pre-Hispanic arid Andes

“…1 ). Today, the region is the world’s leading center of quinoa production ( 26 ). Embracing the entire Intersalar area, Lecoq’s pioneering work ( 20 ) revealed a significant human occupation during the LRDP, evidenced by the proliferation of agglomerated dwelling sites ( Fig.…”

Physiological performance of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) under agricultural climatic conditions in Boyaca, Colombia

“…These nutritional characteristics are the result of environmental conditions, such as temperature, light intensity, relative humidity and precipitation. These conditions are key factors in the quality and number of grains per panicle (Morales et al, 2017), as well as in the phenological and physiological performance of the plants related to the adaptive capacity to diverse environmental conditions (Winkel et al, 2016). The plant has adaptive advantages that allow it to express a great productive potential.…”