The arabesque of local knowledge : Potatoes, farmers and technicians in highland Tiraque, Cochabamba, Bolivia

The aim of this work has to do with knowledge and, particularly, with the encounter between different traditions of knowledge, which - through potato cropping - take place between farmers and experts.In this way the present research makes problematic the fact that knowledge is something that is socially constructed or de-constructed through encounters or intersections between different forms of knowledge, and more specifically through processes of institutional intervention in development. The initial questions that guided this research made reference to the dynamics and results of a long intervention process of technological innovation in the cultivation of potatoes, both at the mezzo and micro levels. At the mezzo level the analysis has focused on the entities and the networks fostering innovation or technological transfer at a regional level ( Cochabamba), networks which are also considered to be regional systems of knowledge, or frameworks of agricultural knowledge. At the micro level, the analysis has focused on the two communities of potato growers chosen for fieldwork (Qoari and Boqueron). On the other hand the research questions also referred to the modes of persistence of local knowledge of potato cultivation and to the reconfigurations of this local knowledge in its encounters with techno-scientific knowledge. This research has attempted to attain the following goals:To establish the role of knowledge, in terms of its diversity, dynamics and intersections, in the implementation of international development programs in Cochabamba.To analyse and conceptualise how knowledge is configured and managed within an institutional and cultural context focused on technological innovation, andTo determine the implications of this innovation, both in the knowledge and practice of local agricultural producers.The theoretical perspective upon which this research widely draws is the Actor Oriented Approach. The thesis has put forward the notion that the relationship between knowledge and rural development is not simply a bipolar one (between knowledge and development) but multipolar or multiplex; between development and other forms which are linked to knowledge namely, "memory", "forgetfulness" and "ignorance".I assumed in this research that it could be interesting to contrast the traditional forms of knowledge with the scientific spirit and rationale, at least regarding its central aspects. For instance, with the problem of methodological doubt, which steers to the problem of truth, a problem I have tried to avoid but which remained as a shadow, above all in the footnotes. Closing the circle, I outlined its historical background and subsequently I have summarised the Actor Oriented Approach contributions to knowledge and rural development.To have a better grasp of the problem of technology I have drawn on work done in the fields of social anthropology (Long, Arce, Fisher, Villarreal, Olivier de Sardan, Geertz, Latour, Callon and others), philosophy (Heidegger, Negri and Rella) and sociology (Habermas, Bourdieu and Giddens). One aim of the study was to analyse how knowledge si configured and managed within the set of organisations working in technological innovation in Cochabamba. Here I have tried to respond to such questions as who are those who take on the mission of bringing about technological innovations for potato production in the region, ultimately, in what way do they structure institutional frameworks at the mezzo level for organising the unfolding of their intervention strategies. As I have showed in this study, the history of the planned intervention, particularly in the province of Tiraque, for improving potato cropping displays a lot of unexpected events, contradictory facets and even revealing anecdotes.The communities studied demonstrate that the long experience of technology introduction in both communities become interesting for research. It is described the extent and variants of the innovation process that took place in these communities, since each follows a different path as far as technical innovation is concerned, and at the same time each displays a different history concerning its relationship with the organisations that promote technical change. The characterisation of this change is done on the basis of a statistical method of multiplecorrelation, which allows for the elaboration of farmer typologies and variable correspondences. Beyond of the technicalities of the method, what is interesting is that it has led me toward an extensive interpretation of the innovation process, establishing the main differences between producer groups, as well as between communities. This interpretation or assessment of the extent of the technical change constitutes the basis for the in-depth analysis of the local knowledge on potatoes and its reconfigurations in both communities.Finally the study deals with the intersections or interfaces between farmers and technicians, and therefore with the reconfigurations that take place in farmers' knowledge a much as in their agricultural practices (regarding soils, diseases, pest control and so on). The issue of loss or gain of biodiversity is also mentioned together with issues of culinary practices and market flaws and the introduction of new varieties. After summarising these changes in other domains of local knowledge and taking into account that encounters between farmers and experts, the study concludes that discontinuity and "rebounding" of knowledge are part of an analysis of what I call the "other reconfiguration". This means the development, partial and fragmentary, of farmers' local knowledge, which is equivalent to the technicians' "local knowledge".