EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. Macro-fungi Beacons of Opportunity (page 8)
Together with our partners at the Centro de Investigacion de Hongos Alimenticios y Medicinales (CIPHAM) at the Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad de Cusco (UNSAAC) we found names and specimens of some edible mushrooms that were last described in the 16th and 17th century, as well as others not mentioned previously such as ‘Chochoca,’ ‘Vela Vela’. Potential exists to use these mushrooms both to increase wellbeing of communities and environment by using a diversified approach that includes fair trade and connection to a high-value gourmet market, as well as environmental incentives. A summary table is provided on the status of knowledge on p14.
We have made progress in efforts to elucidate the place of mushrooms in ancient Peruvian society while connecting better with archaeologists. We discovered that in the north mushrooms similar to those found on Moche ceramics can be found in the dry coastal regions, in the humid winter season and in a brief rainy season around Chiclayo. This opens the possibility that many of the mushrooms used were retrieved not only in the higher lying wet regions, but found on the warm coastal hills and plain.
The greatest effort was spent continuing the survey of fungal diversity in the Peruvian Andes that was started in 2011 together with partners at UNSAAC, Cusco, and the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH). In 2012 we extended the survey area in the southern Andes. The collection’s herbarium samples have been divided and are housed in Peru at UNSAAC, UPCH and with GMA in Lima. Preliminary analyses suggest mushrooms correlations at the family and genus level with grassland use and tree coverage, system health and altitude. Identification of mushrooms is time-consuming and often difficult due to the flux at which the field of fungal taxonomy finds itself and the likelihood that many of the species collected have not been identified and studies previously.
2. Andean Aromatic Herbs (page 21)
We know little of Peruvian herbs for food flavor and medicine. Although there is a diversity of herbs they have not been considered in national statistics, even though they are known to be important in human nutrition and reported by WHO and FAO consumed by two-thirds of humanity. We know that mountain environments are special, and are characterized by their topographical and climatic diversity but also by high diversity, changes in fertility that yield an array of herbs that have been traditionally used and traded by communities. A few projects have considered herbs and markets, but mainly for medicinal value not their use in food. This GMA activity concentrates on combined food and medical properties of mainly traditional Andean herbs, their revaluation and their use to connect people with plants.
In 2012 GMA supported the launching of Mimacetita (
http://mimacetita.blogspot.com), which is a blog on herbs and ways people can incorporate plants in their lives, especially for urban dwellers. The goal is to contribute gradually in a qualitative manner to a mental, physical, emotional and energetic health of people that comes through encouragement of attention, holistic care, perseverance, use and observation of the life cycle of plants.
Andean herbs are an opportunity for small-scale business for economically marginalized women. The Andes are a center of domestication and diversity of important crops. Andean herbs, are diverse, and little studied and have acquired distinct characters, even those introduced from other continents. Most have not been recorded and are disappearing from traditional knowledge of local mountain communities as the old die and the young adopt western cultural food habits. Those considered thus far have been: Mentha Piperita (Hierba buena), Mentha setosa (Muña), Trapaeolum majus (Mastuerzo, Capuchina), Equisetum bogotense & Equisetum giganteum (Cola de Caballo), Tagetes minuta (Huacatay), Chenopodium ambrosiodes (Paico) and Brassica campestris (Nabo o Yuyo).
Commercialization of aromatic herbs: A short survey of San Pedro and San Francisco and Tupac Amaru markets in Cusco demonstrates a great diversity of aromatic herbs for sale. Most are wild herbs collected from native grasslands or forests. Here herbs are sold like the root ‘Mullaca’ which is used against inflammation and appears to have anti-leukemia, anti-virus and anti-bacterial properties. Common herbs like coriander or cilantro, oregano, parsley are also sold among many others. In the market of San Francisco Organic production is encouraged in an Eco-Feria Frutos de la Tierra in April to July and in Tupac Amaru market one can find herbs like huacatay, hinojo, thyme, rosemary, lion’s tooth, spearmint, etc.
3. Revitalization of Mountain Agriculture (page 29)
The GMA general assembly voted to begin studies on a neglected area of investigation: mountain agriculture and the dilemma of its viability causing migration and downstream problems of urban sustainability. We are working on the hypothesis that mountain agriculture is intrinsically highly productive in the tropics rather than of low potential as often assumed. Evidence includes the high historic populations of mountains that required development of productive agricultural systems. There is much evidence that sophisticated adaptations of the environment were developed specific for mountain environment and crops, including the import of natural fertilizers, terraces, irrigation, vertical agriculture concepts, the use of genetic diversity, and sociocultural systems to maintain the infrastructure. The major factor that makes mountain agriculture in the tropics less favorable is often incompatibility with the current paradigm of productivity and industrial production, based on large-scale, homogenized, cheap fossil fuel dependent mechanized industrial agriculture, devoid of family enterprises. Its dependence on large amounts of cheap fossil fuel for production, homogenization, subsidized water, and cheap labor and cheap fossil fuel and subsidized infrastructure-dependent distribution makes the industrial and not traditional mountain agriculture non sustainable. In fact, mountain agriculture has building blocks needed to develop a sustainable agriculture of the future.
4. Institutional Development (page 31)
In 2012 instruments were established to formalize accounting and to promote awareness of our activities, and to strengthen connections with the mountain community. We held the Annual General Assembly Meeting 2012 in Zurich September 29, which accepted the minutes of the last meeting and approved new activities for 2013, and published the 2011 Annual Report. In 2013 we also became members of the Mountain Forum (
http://www.mtnforum.org/) and Mountain Partnership (
http://www.mountainpartnership.org/). We developed two funding proposals, and had two social events that unfortunately were not successful. On the positive side promotion of our existence and activities has steadily increased our visibility: in 2012 website traffic, although still modest, almost tripled and hits and bandwidth increased 10-20 fold since 2011. In addition, the publications have been popular downloads. We presented GMA work a conference in Puno, Peru in October.