Of Guinea Pigs and Tourists: Sustainable Development, Sustainable Tourism, and "Local Food" in Cusco, Peru

Dramatic growth in the tourism industry in the Andean region of Peru has created an influx of new economic opportunities in the tourism industry. However, unplanned expansion has led to unequal access to those opportunities, especially for indigenous communities. Southern Andean communities continue to suffer from high rates of poverty and diseases. Work by the Cusco-based non-governmental organization Sierra Productiva has demonstrated that grassroots, people-focused sustainable development program can rectify many of these social ills by building capacity at the individual and community level while also promoting sustainable tourism. This article exploresSierra Productiva's cuy (guinea pig) farming operations in the Peruvian Andes outside Cusco to demonstrate how small-scale agricultural enterprises can create mutually beneficial relationships that promote cultural and ecological sustainability within the tourism sector without creating relationships of dependency. This example provides a model for sustainable tourism development that can provide a framework for other areas of tourism.