Paper short abstract:

Small farmers from the Andes do not conceive the native potatoes they grow identifying each species, but in a collective way (ch’aqru). Drawing on ethnographical data, we propose to reflect on the possibility of beyond species’ conservation.

Paper long abstract:

The Species is the main concept in science-driven conservation projects. Bur this way of conceiving the biological diversity may not be relevant for small farmers or Indigenous people who still cultivate this material and contribute to in situ conservation. In this paper, we propose to analyze the way small farmers from the Andes conceive the native potatoes they grow. We will show that, despite the impressive knowledge they have on their potatoes, they do not base their cultivations practices on the identification of the different species they grow. On the opposite, they consider their material in a “mixed” way (ch’aqru), showing the importance of considering the material they grow in a collective way, and in interaction within potatoes, with the farmer and even other beings. This might generate some difficulties to enhance in situ conservation practices informed by scientists. This reflection is based on ethnographic fieldwork realized in the Potato Park (Pisac, Peru), the main in situ conservation area held by Indigenous people, and we propose to reflect on the possibility of beyond species' conservation.