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This is the sacred
valley of the Incas, near Cuzco, Peru. Breathtakingly beautiful, and serene,
it was seen as a holy place by the Inca civilization. It was in this region
that they bred and grew potatoes. Still a staple of the people of Peru,
the potato is now eaten around the globe. |
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This is possibly the world's first agricultural research station
-- or experimental farm. It was built by the Incas more than 500 years
ago. The different terraces were used to try out crop varieties under different
soil and climate conditions. Today, the International Potato Center in
Lima is working with farmers to enhance the viability of crops in the high
Andes mountains today. |
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At the Andennes research station, local women farmers help researchers
select potatoes for seed. They will be used in experimental plots on terraces
the Incas left behind. |
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The oxen team and a simple plough are all the mechanization there
is at 12,000 feet in the Andes mountains near the town of Chinchero, Peru. |
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A young Peruvian boy ponders the visitors
from Canada. The world's seem so far apart, yet so much is the same. He
lives in the land of the Incas - perhaps the world's greatest farmers.
Will he inherit a land of abundance or one of desolation? |
