Browsing by Autor "Ximena Fuentes"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6

¿CÓMO VA EL CAMBIO DE ESTATUS DE LOS CULTIVOS/ALIMENTOS NUS EN CULTIVOS/ALIMENTOS NO-NUS?
(2023) Ximena Fuentes
Consumption of Native and Traditional Crops in Bolivia Varies Along an Ecoregional Gradient
(Wiley, 2016) Alder Keleman Saxena; Ximena Fuentes; Daniel Illanes Velarde; Debbie Humphries
Background Agro biodiversity may play an important role in human nutrition and food security. However, research documenting relationships between genetically diverse crop varieties and nutrition and food security of contemporary populations is limited. Objective This project sought to measure the contribution of native and traditional crops to the diets and nutritional quality of residents of the Bolivian Andes; to determine whether the contribution varies according to the ecological region of a household's residence; and to investigate the relationships between the consumption of native and traditional crops and the growth of children under 5. Methods The study was carried out in the rural municipality of Colomi, department of Cochabamba, and the departmental capital, Cochabamba City. The nine sites spanned 86 km along the national highway, and covered an altitudinal range of 2200–4200 meters above sea level (masl), with sub‐tropical, inter‐Andean valley, and high‐altitude puna ecotypes. Two household‐level surveys were conducted, one in the 2013 post‐planting season (Nov–Dec) and the other in the 2014 post‐harvest season (May–July). Surveys with female household heads or food preparers collected information on household socio‐demographics, wealth and expenditures, 24‐hour recall of all foods prepared or consumed at the household level, and height and weight measurements of children under the age of 5. Survey and anthropometric data were entered into excel and data analysis was undertaken with SPSS (v23) and ENA SMART software. A Kruskal‐Wallis means test (for non‐normally distributed data) and multiple linear regression were used for analysis. Each household's total caloric consumption for the day prior to the survey was calculated from the 2014 post‐harvest data, coding each ingredient as “native,” “processed,” or belonging to another category. A fixed effects model was used to assess the relationship between native crop consumption and child growth, adjusting for age, sex, ecoregion, household, and household total calories per adult equivalent. Results Native foods contributed an average of 27.3% (SD ±0.110) of the calories available in households the day prior to the survey. This contribution ranged from a low value of 15.0% in urban areas, to a high of 52.4% in the high‐altitude puna communities. There were significant differences in the percent caloric contribution of native crops to households’ diets among sites (Kruskal‐Walis test, p<0.01), as well as in all other categories of foods, with the exception of “Andeanized” food products. HAZ was positively associated with percent consumption of native crops (p<0.05), and consumption of Andeanized, introduced, and animal‐source foods (p<0.01). There was no association between native crop consumption and WHZ. Conclusions Native and traditional crops make an important contribution to caloric availability across all ecoregions studied. However, dietary profiles differ significantly by region, with native crops making a larger contribution in the rural and highland areas than in urban or urbanizing sites. Support or Funding Information This project was funded by the National Science Foundation (DDIG in Geography #1131153), the Wilbur G. Downs Fellowship; the Yale‐NYBG Cullman Fellowship; the Yale McMillan Center International Dissertation Research Fellowship; the Yale Tropical Resources Institute; the Yale Program in Agrarian Studies; and the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies.
Genetic diversity of Bolivian wild potato germplasm: changes during ex situ conservation management and comparisons with resampled in situ populations
(Springer Science+Business Media, 2016) Ximena Fuentes; R. van Treuren; Robert M. Hoekstra; R.G. van den Berg; Marc S.M. Sosef
Indigenous Food Systems and Climate Change: Impacts of Climatic Shifts on the Production and Processing of Native and Traditional Crops in the Bolivian Andes
(Frontiers Media, 2016) Alder Keleman Saxena; Ximena Fuentes; Rhimer Gonzales Herbas; Debbie Humphries
Inhabitants of the high-mountain Andes have already begun to experience changes in the timing, severity, and patterning of annual weather cycles. These changes have important implications for agriculture, for human health, and for the conservation of biodiversity in the region. This paper examines the implications of climate-driven changes for native and traditional crops in the municipality of Colomi, Cochabamba, Bolivia. Data were collected between 2012 and 2014 via mixed methods, qualitative fieldwork, including participatory workshops with female farmers and food preparers, semi-structured interviews with local agronomists, and participant observation. Drawing from this data, the paper describes (a) the observed impacts of changing weather patterns on agricultural production in the municipality of Colomi, Bolivia and (b) the role of local environmental resources and conditions, including clean running water, temperature, and humidity, in the household processing techniques used to conserve and sometimes detoxify native crop and animal species, including potato (Solanum sp.), oca (Oxalis tuberosa), tarwi (Lupinus mutabilis), papalisa (Ullucus tuberosus), and charke (llama or sheep jerky). Analysis suggests that the effects of climatic changes on agriculture go beyond reductions in yield, also influencing how farmers make choices about the timing of planting, soil management, and the use and spatial distribution of particular crop varieties. Furthermore, household processing techniques to preserve and detoxify native foods rely on key environmental and climatic resources, which may be vulnerable to climatic shifts. Although these findings are drawn from a single case study, we suggest that Colomi agriculture characterizes larger patterns in what might be termed, "indigenous food systems." Such systems are underrepresented in aggregate models of the impacts of climate change on world agriculture and may be under different, more direct, and more immediate threat from climate change. As such, the health of the food production and processing environments in such systems merits immediate attention in research and practice.
On measuring “small potatoes”: spatio-temporal patterning of agrobiodiversity-as-food presents challenges for dietary recall surveys
(Frontiers Media, 2023) Alder Keleman Saxena; Ximena Fuentes; Debbie Humphries
A growing body of research seeks to measure the nutritional contributions of agrobiodiversity to the diets of small-scale farming households. While such articles frequently base analysis on nutritional surveys, particularly using 24-h dietary recall methods, there is as-yet little critical analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of 24-h recalls for assessing the nutritional contributions of agrobiodiversity, or for evaluating the biodiversity conservation implications of particular dietary patterns. The current article draws from mixed-methods research conducted in Cochabamba, Bolivia, between 2011 and 2015. Methods included both ethnographic research and a two-season, household-level survey of 414 households, distributed across a rural–urban gradient between urban Cochabamba and the rural municipality of Colomi. The survey included a 24-h “culinary recall,” recording specific ingredients used to prepare foods, including variety-level information for key crops in the region. Results demonstrate that native crops play an important role in household diets, accounting for around a third of calories reported at the household level, and as much as 57% of caloric availability in the most remote agricultural communities. However, a fine-grained examination of the data shows that nearly a third of all calories reported are provided by potatoes and their derivatives; no other native, improved, or Andeanized crop accounted for more than 1.53% of reported calories. Using ethnographic data, the paper considers reasons for the lack of representation of other crops in dietary recall methods, including the difficulties of capturing the consumption of crops that are seasonal, or consumed as specialty foods under specific circumstances. Drawing from these observations, the paper argues that assessing the importance of local consumption as a driver of agrobiodiversity conservation requires methods that are better attuned to cultural and seasonally driven consumption practices.
Understanding Differing Household Consumption of Native and Traditional Crops in Cochabamba, Bolivia
(Wiley, 2015) Alder Keleman; Debbie Humphries; Ximena Fuentes; Susan Abasto
Background Bolivia exhibits the highest rates of child malnutrition in South America, despite being the center of diversity of many highly‐nutritious native and traditional crops (NTCs). This research explored household consumption processes Cochabamba Department, to understand how NTCs contribute to household food security and nutrition. Methods Five communities were purposively selected to represent four ecotypes (puna, sub‐puna, sub‐tropical, and urban/valles). Three focus‐group discussions were carried out in three communities, and two in the others. Participation targeted female household heads, and utilized participatory methods such as group drawing and mapping of NTC harvesting, processing and preparation. Results In all five communities, participants identified the post‐planting season (Nov‐Dec) as the period of highest food insecurity, while NTCs were most available during the harvest and post‐harvest period (Mar‐Jul). Many NTCs require labor‐intensive preparation processes, and depend on the availability of other resources, including abundant water and cooking fuel. Some NTCs have important commercial value, and present challenges in post‐harvest storage, increasing incentives for market sale. The differing in‐ and out‐migration profiles of individuals and communities also influence their knowledge of and propensity to use NTCs in each place. Conclusions Household NTC consumption is linked to resource availability, post‐harvest storage capacity, market value, and the life histories of food preparers.