THE ZUNI AND HOPI PROJECTS

The Zuni Folk Varieties Project began in 1992, and is part of the Pueblo of Zuni's Conservation Project at Zuni, New Mexico, USA, funded by the C.S. Fund and the J.S. Noyes Foundation. It is documenting Zuni folk varieties, encouraging more farmers to grow more Zuni folk varieties, and developing policy options to safeguard Zunis' future rights to control their folk varieties. This project is managed by David Cleveland for CPEE. Donald Eriacho, a Zuni farmer and rancher, is assistant director for the Zuni tribe. Fred Bowannie Jr, Andrew Laahty, and Lygatie Laate are Zuni farmers who have helped with the Zuni Fold Varieties Project. The Fold Varieties Project cooperates closely with the Zuni Sustainable Agriculture Project, funded by the Ford Foundation. Donald Eriacho is the director, Fred Bowannie Jr. and Andrew Laahty are assistant directors. Work with the Zuni Cultural Resources Advisory Team, the Zuni Tribal Council, and the Nutria Irrigation Unit has provided much insight into the needs for intellectual property rights in FVs. Research with Hopi farmers, in Arizona, USA, on their folk varieties and why they maintain them, was directed by Daniela Soleri for Native Seeds/SEARCH in 1988-89, and funded by the Pioneer Education Foundation. Ongoing analysis of the agronomic and genetic effects of in situ conservation of folk varieties by Hopi and Zuni farmers compared with ex situ conservation of the same varieties in Iowa, is funded by grants in Daniela Soleri as a Ph.D. candidate in the College of Agriculture at the University of Arizona from the University of Arizona Foundation and the Flinn Foundation. This work is being done with the cooperation of five Hopi households and the USDA maize germplasm programme, who have all supplied seeds.

For further information contact: Daniela Soleri and David Cleveland, Center for People, Food and Environment, 344 South Third Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701, USA, Tel/Fax: (1-602)624.53.79. Email: dsoleri@ccit.arizona.edu.