Multiple trends in interspecific crop diversity: a longitudinal case study from the Ecuadorian Andes

作者：Skarbo Kristine^*

来源：Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 2016, 63(8): 1319-1343.

DOI：10.1007/s10722-015-0320-9

• Agrobiodiversity
• Diachronic change
• Ecuador
• Genetic erosion
• Interspecific crop diversity

This case study reports on recent developments in the extent of interspecific crop diversity in Cotacachi located in the Northern Ecuadorian Andes. Like in many other regions, trends of genetic erosion led to simplified fields with reduced levels of crop diversity in this area during the twentieth century. The present study examines whether, at the crop level, this reduction continued after the millennium shift. The problem is approached through a longitudinal comparison of crop richness on surveyed farms in 2003 and 2009. The results display multiple trends; while a few field crops remained stable in terms of their presence among farms, some increased and others decreased their role. Simultaneously, there was a marked increase in the planting of vegetables and fruits in home gardens. On a general level, these varied trends resulted in a significant rise in farms' average crop richness amounting to five more crops, as well as an overall 42 % increase in the frequency with which any crop was planted among the farms. The observed trends are discussed in the light of local sociocultural, economic and agroclimatic changes.

• 出版日期2016-12