ABSTRACT
Returning germplasm from gene bank collections to communities can be considered as back-flow from what some critics have characterized as in appropriative incursions by the Global North into the rich genetic and cultural heritage of the Global South. Repatriation seeks to re-integrate into farming systems 'lost' crops or varieties of crops from germplasm accessions that have been collected over time and deposited in gene banks. From plant exploration worldwide to conservation in botanic gardens and gene banks, the science and technology of crop biodiversity conservation has been dominated by landscapes of loss that promote the principle of containment. Beyond strengthening the complementation between ex situ and in situ conservation, repatriation of plant genetic resources conserved in gene banks to their original custodians, as is happening in the Andes, can be considered as a much-needed restorative measure. Any movement that promotes cultural memory and synaesthesia will counter the rendering and de-animation that programmatic conservation can unwittingly instigate.
