Nkhani ya mbatata wamba, mbewu yomwe tsopano imalimidwa ndi kudyedwa padziko lonse lapansi, inayamba zaka 8,000 zapitazo m’madera okwera ozungulira nyanja ya Titicaca ku Peru. Atafika pamalo okwera mamita 3,800, anthu a mtundu wa Inca anali m’gulu la anthu oyambirira kulima mbewu yodabwitsa imeneyi, ndipo anayamba kupanga njira zoitetezera ku mikhalidwe yovuta. Masiku ano, ubale wa Peru ndi mbatata ndi wozama kuposa kale, alimi ngati Rosa Cansaya wochokera pachilumba cha Amantani akupitiriza miyambo ya makolo ake.
Kwa Cansaya, mbatata ndi zambiri kuposa chakudya - zimayimira njira yamoyo. Polima m’minda yanthambi yopanda mankhwala kapena mankhwala ophera tizilombo, amalima mitundu inayi ya mbatata chaka chonse, kudalira feteleza wachilengedwe ngati manyowa a nkhosa. Mbatata zakhala chakudya chambiri ku Peru, ndipo ndi imodzi mwa mbewu zomwe zimadyedwa kwambiri padziko lonse lapansi, zimangoposa mpunga ndi tirigu. Chofunika kwambiri, ndizogwirizana ndi nyengo, zomwe zimatulutsa mpweya wochepa wowonjezera kutentha kusiyana ndi mbewu zina zambiri zomwe zimakonda kwambiri.
Dziko la Peru lili ndi mitundu yoposa 4,000 ya mbatata yamtundu wamba, iliyonse ili ndi mbiri yake, kakomedwe kake, kaonekedwe, ndi mtundu wake. Zina mwa izo ndi zamphamvu Peruvia, yomwe imanyamula mitundu yofiira ndi yoyera ya mbendera ya Peruvia, ndi zowawa kanchillo zosiyanasiyana, kusonyeza zamoyo zosiyanasiyana zochititsa chidwi zomwe zimapezeka ku Andes. Anthu a m’dera la Quechua, komwe amakhala ku Cansaya, amakondwerera kusiyanasiyana kumeneku pokonza mbatata m’njira zachikhalidwe, monga kugwiritsa ntchito uvuni wamiyala (wotchedwa kuswa) komanso kuphatikiza mbatata ndi dongo lapadera (choko) kuchiza matenda a m'mimba.
Kufunika kwa mbatata ku Peru kumapitilira tanthauzo lake lachikhalidwe. Mbewuzo zidathandizira kwambiri kupulumuka ndi kufalikira kwa Ufumu wa Inca, kupereka chakudya kumizinda ikuluikulu ndi magulu ankhondo. Ogonjetsa a ku Spain anachita chidwi kwambiri ndi kulimba mtima kwa mbatatayi komanso kadyedwe kake kotero kuti anabweretsa ku Ulaya m'zaka za m'ma 1500. Popita nthawi, mbatata idakhala yofunika kwambiri pachitetezo cha chakudya padziko lonse lapansi, makamaka munthawi yankhondo ndi njala, ndipo idathandizira kuyambitsa kusintha kwa mafakitale popereka chakudya chodalirika kwa ogwira ntchito aku Europe.
Komabe, tsogolo la mbatata ku Peru tsopano lili pachiwopsezo. Alimi akumana ndi mavuto chifukwa cha nyengo yosasinthika, monga kuzizira, chisanu, ndi kuchepa kwa mvula. Mavutowa amakula chifukwa cha kusintha kwa nyengo, kusokoneza zokolola za mbatata komanso kusokoneza zamoyo zosiyanasiyana za mbewu yofunikayi. Mabungwe monga International Potato Center (CIP) ku Lima ndi Cite Papa (Center for Innovation in Potato and Andes Crop Technology) akuyesetsa kuthana ndi zovutazi. Kuyesetsa kumaphatikizapo kuteteza mitundu ya mbatata yomwe yatsala pang'ono kutha poyibweretsa kumisika yatsopano komanso kupanga mitundu yambata yamphamvu komanso yolimba yomwe ingapirire chifukwa cha nyengo.
Kudya mbatata ku Peru kwasinthanso pazaka zambiri. M'zaka za m'ma 1960, anthu ambiri a ku Peru ankadya mbatata yokwana makilogalamu 120 pachaka. Pofika m’zaka za m’ma 1990, chiwerengerochi chinali chitatsika kufika pa 35 kg pa munthu aliyense pamene mpunga ndi pasitala zinayamba kutchuka. Komabe, kudzera muzochita ngati Peruvian Sustainable Development Association (Aders Peru), kudya kwa mbatata kwachulukirachulukira, kufika pa 94 kg pa munthu aliyense mu 2023.
Pokhala ndi mbatata yopitilira matani 6 miliyoni yomwe imapangidwa pachaka, Peru tsopano ndiyomwe imapanga kwambiri ku Latin America, kuposa Brazil ndi Argentina. Ngakhale izi zikuyenda bwino, alimi a ku Peru akukumana ndi mavuto okhudzana ndi kuwonongeka kwa nthaka, tizilombo towononga, komanso zotsatira zosayembekezereka za kusintha kwa nyengo. Kuti athane ndi izi, asayansi akupanga njira zatsopano zaulimi, monga Fitotron modular modular zipinda zomwe zimapanga malo otetezedwa kuti athe kupanga mbatata zopanda matenda. Ukadaulo uwu utha kuloleza kukolola pafupipafupi, kuchepetsa kukulirakulira kuyambira kamodzi pachaka mpaka kasanu ndi kamodzi pachaka. Zatsopano zotere zitha kukhudza kwambiri, osati ku Peru kokha komanso kumadera monga Africa ndi China, komwe mbatata ikukhala chakudya chofunikira kwambiri.
Kuyesetsa kwa mabungwe ngati CIP kuzizira ndi kusunga njere za mbatata kumapangitsa kuti zamoyo zosiyanasiyana za ku Peru zisungidwe kuti mibadwo yamtsogolo isungidwe. Kuyambira 1996, mitundu yopitilira 450 ya mbatata yasungidwa m'malo oundana, kutetezera kuti isathe. Uwu ndi umboni wa kudzipereka kwa dziko la Peru posunga cholowa chake chaulimi poyang'ana tsogolo lachitetezo cha chakudya padziko lonse lapansi.
Ubale wa Peru ndi mbatata ndi chitsanzo champhamvu cha momwe cholowa chaulimi ndi ukadaulo wamakono zimakhalira limodzi. Kuyesetsa kwa dziko lino kuteteza mitundu yambirimbiri ya mbatata komanso kupanga njira zatsopano zaulimi kukuwonetsa kufunikira kwa mbewuyi polimbikitsa madera komanso chakudya padziko lonse lapansi. Pamene kusintha kwa nyengo kukupitilira kutsutsa miyambo yaulimi, kudzipereka kwa Peru poteteza zamoyo zosiyanasiyana zaulimi ndi chitsanzo padziko lonse lapansi. Kupyolera mu kulimbikira, ukadaulo, komanso kulemekeza miyambo, mbatata za ku Peru zipitilizabe kugwira ntchito yofunikira pakudyetsa mibadwo yamtsogolo.
