Activities of the Mapuche Peoples in Chile and limitations of the legal framework

The Organización Mapuche Consejo de Todas las Tierras represents more than three hundred Mapuche communities living in their ancient territories in Araucanía region of Chile. Mapuche peoples are known for being deeply attached to the earth and natural environments, they have unique culture, language and strong customary laws. Mapuche communities have followed ancestral practices of domestication and cultivation of various crops and their respective varieties to achieve food security, including potatoes, wheat, legumes, lentils, tomatoes, peppers and beans, among others. They continue to cultivate these crops despite the increasing presence of agro-industry in the region. Mapuche communities have no major obstacles for the cultivation and use of seeds in the communities; for example, there are no restrictions to the exchange of seeds between Mapuche families. However, there is currently no national or local legislation on the role of peasants in the dynamic management of biodiversity; no recognition of traditional knowledge and practices; and no differentiation between ‘formal’ and ‘informal’ seeds. While the absence of a legal framework has not prevented Mapuche communities from carrying out crop conservation activities based on Mapuche customary laws, it exposes seeds for traditional use to risks of genetic contamination and misappropriation.