Agrobiodiversity and culture: an analysis of agroecosystems as places in the upper valley of the Tunjuelo River in Bogota

Abstract

In rural Bogota thousands of small scale farmers live in high mountain landscapes surrounded by biodiverse ecosystems. The demand for water and food from a growing city creates new pressures on these socio ecosystems. The resulting monocultures transforms the rural landscapes while reducing  the space available for agrobiodiversity and sociocultural practices. Therefore, there is a need to identify potentials of reciprocity between ecosystems and local livelihoods in order to improve socioecological resilience.

This study was developed in the valley of the Curubital River in the district of Usme. It analyses places in which agrobiodiversity persists in relation with sociocultural and agroecological practices. These places are defined as “agrobiodiversity niches”. Using semi structured interviews, participatory mapping, transect walks and botanical identifications, the research focused on practices related to agrobiodiversity in home gardens.
The results show the agrobiodiversity richness of these places, including species- richness and their agroecological functionality, as well as local knowledge that show a reciprocity in farmers’ interactions with ecosystems. The article concludes with some reflections about the link of these agrobiodiversity niches with socioecological resilience and their potential as socioecological connectors. It proposes a dialogue between science and local knowledge that should influence environmental policies and ecological restoration programs.