秘魯皮薩克

在秘魯的皮薩克地區，六個克丘亞族社區一起合作保護和保存他們的生物文化傳統。馬鈴薯是當地一種共有資源，也是克丘亞族文化的核心元素，不同種類的馬鈴薯在傳統儀式中具有各自的重要性。原住民邀請了一個非牟利組織參與成為持份者的一份子，以協助製定一項保護他們共有資源的法規，進而使當地建立了一個名為「馬鈴薯公園」 (Potato Park) 的農業生態保護區。

擴展社區的定義

克丘亞族種植的馬鈴薯包括多種稀有品種。近幾十年來，跨國生物技術和農業公司驅逐了傳統社區，摧毀了傳統農業，並為種子申請了專利。為了防止傳統耕作方式被滅絕以及克丘亞人的共有資源被私有化，原住民與非牟利組織 Quechua-Aymara Association for Sustainable Livelihoods 合作，於 2000 年開發了原住民生物文化遺產區（IBCHA）。鄉村社區本來已經以互助自理的模式運作，但融入外來持份者後能更讓村民們得以保育和推廣馬鈴薯的各個品種和生物文化層面的傳統。

建構鄉村發展的新模式

IBCHA 的推行促成了馬鈴薯公園，這是一個由社區主導、基於權益的保育方式，不同於以市場、利潤優先的模式。六個村莊都被列為持份者，每個村莊各選出一名主席，組建一個協會。在 IBCHA 下，村民們與科學家分享了超過200多種馬鈴薯品種（本地品種約有900種）的相關知識；這些知識促進培育能夠抵抗氣候變化的非基因改造馬鈴薯品種的實驗。馬鈴薯公園不允許為基因知識申請專利，因為馬鈴薯神聖的集體地位與私有財產權並不相容。這個保育模式不但可以讓其他嚴重依賴生產型共有資源的社區效仿，馬鈴薯公園更為克丘亞族帶來了新的商業模式，例如農業/生態旅遊、天然藥物和肥皂加工中心、當地藥房的網絡和影片通信中心；這些項目確保了村內年輕人的生計，收益也撥入社區公共基金以支援學校、長者和其他社區必需品。

參考資料
Bollier, D. (2015, October 20). The Potato Park of Peru. Patterns of Commoning | The Commons Strategies Group. https://patternsofcommoning.org/the-potato-park-of-peru/

In the Pisaq region of Peru, six Quechua communities have come together to protect and preserve their biocultural traditions. Potatoes are a shared resource and a central element of Quechua culture, with different kinds of potatoes holding respective importance in ceremonial use. The Indigenous people have invited an NPO to participate as a stakeholder to help develop a piece of legislation to protect their shared asset. This has led to the establishment of a protected agroecological region called the Potato Park.

Expanding Definition of Community

The potatoes grown by the Quechua community include a variety of rare species. Recent decades have seen multinational biotech and agricultural corporations evict traditional communities, dismantle traditional agriculture, and claim patents on seeds. In order to prevent the eradication of traditional farming practices and the privatisation of the Quechuas’ shared asset, the Indigenous people joined with Quechua-Aymara Association for Sustainable Livelihoods, an NPO, to develop the Indigenous Biocultural Heritage Area (IBCHA) in 2000. Although commoning practices have been in place among the village community, expanding to include external stakeholders has enabled villagers to preserve and promote potato varieties and biocultural heritage practices.

Forming New Models of Rural Practices

The enactment of the IBCHA led to the Potato Park, a community-led and rights-based approach to conservation that differs from the market-based and profit prioritising models. All six villages are included as stakeholders, with each one electing a chairperson to form an association. Under the IBCHA, the villagers have shared their knowledge on over 200 of its 900 native potato varieties with scientists; this knowledge facilitates experiments to cultivate non-GMO potato varieties that can resist climate change. The Potato Park does not allow the patenting of genetic knowledge, due to the incompatibility of the sacred collective status of the potatoes with private property rights. Not only is this a conservation model that can be emulated in communities that rely heavily on production commons, the Potato Park has produced new business models for the Quechuas such as agro-/eco-tourism, a processing center for natural medicines and soaps, a network of local pharmacies, and a video communications center; these initiatives have helped secure livelihoods for the villages’ youth and have benefited a communal fund that supports the schools, elders, and other community necessities.

References

• Bollier, D. (2015, October 20). The Potato Park of Peru. Patterns of Commoning | The Commons Strategies Group. https://patternsofcommoning.org/the-potato-park-of-peru/