An approach to rural development, case arracacha’s crops in the department of Boyacá Una aproximación al desarrollo rural, caso el cultivo de arracacha, en el departamento de Boyacá

Abstract

A review and analysis of this species was made, some authors refer to those foods and useful plants, accepted and desired by the Spanish by was considered amazing food they described as great quality and exotic curiosity, in this case initially reported to Arracacha esculenta, as an Andean plant cultivated by the Indians since ancient times where the root is consumed; Historians refer to muiscas, who cultivated different kinds of plants, it is not necessary to semesters themselves planted in orchards in it associated, the muiscas planted in next to the room places and played a similar role in modern present crop of pancojer; such is the case of “sweet potato” or the same “bean”. This tradition today known and studied as peasant economy, contributes to food security, access to a nutritious and healthy food, this growing importance to many communities of small farmers in the Andean region of Colombia. Including Boyaca department being the third largest producer after Tolima and Norte de Santander. For this research we started from the need to unify and identify the production system in the department of Boyacá, through the use of surveys with a focus on participatory research, direct observation, this “rural diagnosis,” made with producers in selected municipalities selected and the research Group Grupo de Investigacion en Desarrollo y Produccion Agraria Sostenible GIPSO of the Universidad Pedagogica y Tecnologica de Colombia; describes the relevant aspects of this production system, from the information collected on cultivated crop ma nagement local materials and cultivation technologies, starting from the traditional knowledge of farmers. The results indicated the existence of more than ten genetic materials in Boyacá (local names). Identified based on morphological characteristics such as shape and color of the root, color of foliage and stem. It is grown by small farmers in plots with less than 1 Ha, acquired over decades’ appreciable knowledge on different topics of production.