Quinoa - here and there

How a "superfood" trend in the US effects producers in Bolivia

Birgit & LauraKSC Dietetic Interns

Objectives

1. Identify how and where quinoa is grown.

2. Be able to explain the consequences of higher quinoa demand.

3. Name two pros and cons for Bolivia’s exportation of quinoa.

4. Discuss how US consumer can influence the market.

• FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean

The International Year of the

Quinoa

What is Quinoa?

Chenopodium QuinoaChenopod family

"Superfood"Complete proteinHealthy fatsHigher content of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc when compared with other "grains"

image: alterecofoods.com

Where is it grown

• Mostly in the arid mountains and coastal valleys of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile (80,000 tons harvest in 2010)

• In the US some small-scale farms are testing it, biggest is White Mountain Farm in the Colorado Rockies (US production less than 5 tons)

• emerging interest in other parts of the world

image: ediblecommunities.com

image: lespetitesgourmettes.com

Bolivia

History of Quinoa

• quinoa was one of the staples of Inca food, together with maize

• quinoa means "mother grain" in the Inca language

• it was suppressed by the Conquistadores

• grew again in popularity in the 1970s• in Bolivia it remained "peasant food"

until recently• since 2011 Bolivia supports quinoa

farming

http://youtube.com/v/gVbuuxZApnM

Demand – Supply - Price

Demand of quinoa in the US increases

prices increase

quinoa production in Bolivia increased income of quinoa farmers increased

The dark side of increased production:

• soil depletiono less fertilization from llamas o no crop rotationo 30 % of the quinoa farmers come from the

cities and don't follow traditional methods

• food production for the Bolivian market has decreased - malnutrition

• quinoa replaced by other food

• land disputes

Quinoa Quandary

Fair Trade from Bolivia

or locally grown?

Activity

Please discuss in your groups Pros and Cons of Fair Trade quinoa from Bolivia or US grown quinoa.

Think about effects on the price, incomes, environment, local markets. (It's o.k. to speculate).

Resourceshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/quinoa-boom-bolivian_n_2724251.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/14/quinoa-andes-bolivia-peru-crop&ei=70M5UaqvK4z2xgWN1YGAAg&sig2=BBdzdggDM-NaWHq-tjyHig&ct=b

www.whfoods.com/

http://montrose.patch.com/articles/quinoa-quandary-is-buying-fair-trade-enough

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVbuuxZApnM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haGRAFAjUZ8

http://www.voxxi.com/quinoa-consumption-drives-price-up/2/

http://www.coha.org/quinoa-economic-growth-hindering-economic-development/

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/01/quinoa_bad_for_bolivian_and_peruvian_farmers_ignore_the_media_hand_wringing.2.html

https://nacla.org/article/pachamama-goes-organic-bolivia%E2%80%99s-quinoa-farmers

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/01/quinoa-good-evil-or-just-really-complicated

http://www.andeannaturals.com/Brand.html