About us

The “In Situ Conservation of Native Crops and their Wild Relatives” Project is an initiative of several institutions: the Global Environmental Facility - GEF, the United Nations Development Program - UNDP and six national institutions that work for the preservation of the important plant genetic resources of the cultivated native species and their wild relatives in Perú.

The In Situ Project has three important characteristics:

It involves thousands of rural families that for centuries have maintained their culture in the conservation and use of the native crops and their numerous varieties.
It consists of the tight cooperation of public and private institutions, joined in the effort of supporting the Conservation of the Agrobiodiversity.
It is developed along our wide and diverse country, where the local traditions and cultures continue creating agrobiodiversity, that benefits not only our country but also the whole world in the search of the food security.

The In Situ Project include 6 executive institutions and 14 associated institutions from the public sector and non gubernamental organizations. The Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana – IIAP (Peruvian Amazon Research Institution) in the National Executive Agency, that is directly coordinating with the other institutions, thanks to the technical support of more than 50 agronomists in the field, as weel as 5 professionals located in different regions. The development of the project, with funds administrated by UNDP, compromised the participation of about 150 rural communities at the beginning.

The six executive institutions of the Project are the following:

Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana – IIAP (Peruvian Amazon Research Institution.
Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria – INIA (National Institution of Agricultural Research). With 8 experimental stations.
Proyecto Andino de Tecnologías Campesinas – PRATEC (Andean Project of Rural Technologies). With 10 associated institutions.
Coordinadora de Ciencia y Tecnología en los Andes – CCTA (Coordinator of Science and Technology in the Andes). With 4 associated institutions.
Asociación Arariwa para la Promoción Técnico Cultural Andina (Arariwa Association for the Andean Technical and Cultural Promotion).
Centro de Servicios Agropecuarios – CESA (Farming Services Center)

The In Situ Project is located within the projects financed by the Global Environmental Fund – GEF of the United Nations Development Program - UNDP to aid the developing countries in the protection of their environment, specifically in the issue of agrobiodiversity. It constitutes a tool for performing the Rio 1992 Program 21.

The Peruvian Government has invested in this project, as well as the Italian Government, destining the funds specifically for the South Region (Cusco, Puno).