Trends and drivers of on-farm conservation of the root legume ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa) in Bolivia over the period 1994/96–2012
2018
Rodríguez, JuanPablo | Ørting, Bo | Andreasen, Christian | Jacobsen, Sven-Erik | Sørensen, Marten
The leguminous Andean root crop ahipa has become scarce and the current status of in situ conservation in Bolivia is concerning. Agro-biodiversity changes affect the use, conservation and socio-economic trends for ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa) and to substantiate this, a comparison of two cropping periods were made. Aspects of root production and the shift from cultivation of ahipa to cash crops such as maize were compared for two periods: (a) 1994/96 and (b) 2012. Our study showed that the price of ahipa had not increased in 70% of the urban markets; hence, there is little incentive to retain the cultivation of ahipa. We found that rural ahipa growers selected the largest seeds, but did not select seeds by colour. The mixed seed colour predominated the conservation of ahipa. Laborious yield enhancing practices required in field management and low market value endanger future conservation of the ahipa. We conclude that additional research is needed in order to safeguard the extant variation of ahipa, i.e. nutritional value, taste, stress tolerance and market potential.
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