Andean Tubers and Local Agricultural Knowledge in Rural Communities from Ecuador and Colombia

In Ecuador and Colombia there are indigenous and peasant communities that still grow three Andean tubers: Ullucus tuberosum, Oxalis tuberosa and Tropaelum tuberosum. This paper, supported by a local ethnoecological analysis of the agricultural knowledge, explains the determinants for preservation in situ in both countries by means of cultural practices and beliefs associated with these species. It shows how existing laws, institutions, migration and land uses directly affect their planting areas and cultivation techniques. However, the persistence of beliefs about its uses stands out due to the prevalent memory of the adult population.