Deep in the Peruvian Andes along the western edge of South America, agricultural communities have evolved alongside the environment in excess of 5,000 years. Here, agricultural know-how is rooted in Indigenous knowledge and features a potent mix of ancient and sustainable, techniques forged with spirituality. Communal labor and climate resiliency are paramount to many of the processes, ensuring a sense of food security even for those with few means. Small, tightknit farming communities dotting the landscape have worked land and raised livestock for generation after generation, forming profound and longstanding bonds with the earth. 

Peruvian photographer Diego Vourakis, based in Los Angeles, visited agricultural communities in Peru to shine a spotlight on the intimate bonds between humans, animals, and the planet. Here, we see stewards in deep relationship with their charges in a natural landscapes that richly connect us to the Earth and everything on it.