Building a Community of Practice in research and training in Andean agroecological systems
Between October 2 and 5, 2024, in the city of Tarija, Bolivia, the International Seminar of the Research and Training Program in Andean Agroecological Systems was held. The program was founded in 2018 as part of the alliance between CLACSO and the McKnight Foundation. Representatives from the 10 research groups from Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru participated. These groups were selected through the two calls for proposals held in 2023 and 2024 to organize the Program for the period 2023-2025.
Following the opening ceremony, the inaugural session took place , with the participation of Pilar Lizarraga, Director of the San Andrés Agricultural Technological Institute (ITASA), Carlos Vacaflores (Jaina Community), and Karina Bidaseca (Program Coordinator for CLACSO). The Program's Theory of Change was then presented, and the groups from the first cohort showcased their progress along a learning path characterized by the diversity of materials presented and the profound interdisciplinarity of the content developed. Meanwhile, the groups from the second cohort presented their projects at the "Traveling Worlds" fair, an itinerary inspired by the theoretical and methodological perspective of philosopher María Lugones. Both itineraries were characterized by broad participation, exchange, and debate.
Along with the research groups and the Program team, Yasmin Jalil also participated, facilitating the meeting and offering a range of participatory methodologies that allowed for the exchange and collective learning; Claire Nicklin, regional coordinator of the McKnight Foundation, presented the work of the Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems (CRFS) – Andes, emphasizing the importance of training and research within this framework; and Kaia Ambrose led the Seminar session dedicated to evaluation, self-reflection, and the presentation of change cases.
Also participating in this meeting were leading figures in the field of agroecology, such as Narciso Barrera Bassol (Mexico) and María Inés Gazzano (Uruguay), who support the Program as mentors for the research groups and coordinated a workshop on “Agroecology in Latin America and the Andes: concepts, perspectives, practices, and experiences in current debates.” Students and graduates of the Water Resources Management program at the San Andrés Agricultural Technological Institute (ITASA, Tarija, Bolivia) also participated.
The following actively collaborated in the organization of the Seminar: the Jaina Studies Community, which made available to the meeting all its wisdom, experience and local network in Tarija, in addition to sharing the work with the peasant community of Calderilla; the ITASA management team that offered the facilities of the Institute; the ITASA Gastronomy Career that prepared the lunches and refreshments, ensuring a selection of agroecological foods of local origin.
During the Seminar, an exhibition curated by Marcelina Vacaflores was inaugurated, featuring photographs selected from the 10 research projects. The exhibition took place in the beautiful setting of the House of Culture, with the participation of the Tarija Municipal School of Music. In the auditorium of the same House, the books * Buen Vivir y saberes locales: Sistemas andinos y agroecología* and *Agroecología en los sistemas andinos* were presented , with the participation of Karina Bidaseca, Claire Nicklin, environmental science and technology researcher Dani Vargas Huanca, and Oswaldo Alí, representative of the Brazilian Association for Agrarian Reform.
A field visit was also conducted to the community of Calderilla, where the experience of the Jaina-ITASA Studies Community's research and action project was shared with a community of approximately 30 Indigenous and farming families. There, intercultural and interdisciplinary work was observed, employing different types of interventions tailored to the community's needs and aspirations: improving access to water for crop irrigation; producing microorganisms and earthworms; a project to restructure a lodge for tourism; promoting holistic health through the diagnosis of chronic illnesses and training in the use of medicinal plants; and creating a community map through participatory weaving by the women of the community.
The conclusion of the Seminar raised the need to consolidate and formalize a Community of Practice that brings together the research groups of the Program, promote an Andean network of technological institutes and universities with programs in agroecology and jointly prepare an Agroecology forum for the X Latin American and Caribbean Conference of Social Sciences (June 2025 in Bogotá, Colombia).
