AGUAPAN (Asociación de Guardianes de Papa Nativa del Centro de Peru)

Asociación de Guardianes de Papa Nativa del Centro del Perú (AGUAPAN) is a small and practical ‘Benefit-sharing’ initiative sponsored by a Dutch potato breeding company and supported by several organizations in Peru, namely, Grupo Yanapai, Instituto Nacional de Innovacion Agraria, International Potato Center (CIP) and Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental. The initiative started in 2015, with the main goal to support and empower farmers and their families in their efforts to conserve and maintain the genetic diversity of potato varieties in its centre of origin. Further objectives are to enable farmers to organize themselves and represent their interests in decision-making processes relevant for their work on potato genetic resources. The Dutch potato breeding company HZPC provided a start-up fund for the custodian farmers in Andes. Resulting outcomes include the foundation of AGUAPAN, a small and practical ‘Benefit sharing initiative’ supported by the partners organizations mentioned. Currently, 43 families from five different areas from Central Peru; together they grow about 1000 unique varieties.