Abstract

GOMEL-APAZA, Zenón Porfidio; ISHIZAWA-OBA, Jorge; GRANADOS-CARBAJAL, Rafael Evelio  and  GAMWELL, Adam. Uses of traditional knowledge for the conservation of agrobiodiversity in adaptation to climate change in indigenous communities of Puno, Peru. Espiga [online]. 2023, vol.22, n.46, pp.140-163. ISSN 2215-454X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.22458/re.v22i46.5016.

In two indigenous communities, Koriñahui and Carmen Alto, located above 3910 meters above sea level, in the northern region of Puno, Peru, a qualitative research study was conducted from 2015 to 2017. This research had a hermeneutic phenomenological approach and involved the use of in-depth interviews and other techniques with farmers over the age of 44. The study explored nine categories of traditional knowledge related to climate change adaptation from the perspective of these communities: 1) Perception of climate extremes, 2) Soil, 3) Water, 4) Plant health, 5) Hail, 6) Frost, 7) Hail and frost, 8) Rituals and organic practices, 9) Tolerant varieties. Hail, frost, and drought were identified as the most recurrent climate extremes in these communities. The diverse practices and knowledge within these categories are currently used within the observed communities. These practices are predominantly preventive, with some having a restorative nature. While the current climate change is of anthropogenic origin, the holistic indigenous perspective underscores that the fundamental cause is the loss of respect for nature, the sacred, and relationships among human beings. The various identified practices contribute to the concepts of ecological resilience and social resilience, making these communities less vulnerable to the effects of climate change in high-altitude agriculture.

Keywords : Climate extreme; resilience; traditional knowledge..

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