11. Beyond the Digital Divide

This chapter explores the challenges of fostering data governance and Indigenous sovereignty in the context of Andean agrobiodiversity conservation. Wiki Papa and VarScout are citizen science digital platforms used to collect, curate, and classify potato data from rural Andean communities. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, participatory observation at citizen science workshops in Junín and Huánuco (Peru), and documentary analysis of Andean potato catalogues, the chapter analyzes how FAIR and CARE data governance principles are implemented—and where they fall short—in practice. The analysis reveals two central tensions. First, while Wiki Papa makes agrobiodiversity data more accessible, data curation authority remains concentrated among Western-trained experts, limiting Indigenous Data Sovereignty and CARE compliance. Second, VarScout workshops prioritized technical training over deliberation, positioning users as data collectors rather than as stewards of their own knowledge systems. This reveals persistent sociotechnical issues that prevent meaningful participation even when infrastructure and training are provided. Achieving compliance with CARE principles requires moving beyond connectivity and digital literacy initiatives to create deliberative spaces and protocols designed to enable Andean communities to exercise authority over how their knowledge is classified, validated, and used.