Counting Beans: Agrobiodiversity, Indigeneity, and Agrarian Reform
Department or Administrative Unit
Geography
Document Type
Article
Author Copyright
© Copyright 2005 by Association of American Geographers.
Publication Date
5-2005
Journal
The Professional Geographer
Abstract
In-field conservation of locally domesticated crop varieties ameliorates agrobiodiversity losses, but the interaction among nationally regulated socioeconomic factors at the local scale tends to discourage this. Analyses of household surveys conducted in Ecuador demonstrate that state and nongovernmental institutions interact to discourage cultivation of locally domesticated varieties of beans (Phaseolus spp.). Land privatization, agricultural extension, and credit programs favor market production of introduced modern bean varieties, and locally domesticated varieties are noted for favorable nutrition, culinary, and agroecological qualities. Resolving disconnections between the market and social values for landrace beans may provide agrobiodiversity conservation opportunities.
Recommended Citation
Abbott, J. A. (2005). Counting Beans: Agrobiodiversity, Indigeneity, and Agrarian Reform. The Professional Geographer, 57(2), 198–212. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0033-0124.2005.00472.x
Comments
This article was originally published in The Professional Geographer. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.
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