Matthias Jäger

Bioversity International

The Quinoa Boom

Blessing or Curse?

Content

Quinoa facts Livelihood benefits and trade-offs Outlook

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.)

• Ancient crop of the Incas

• In 1996, quinoa was classified by FAO as one of humanity’s most promising crops

• Pseudocereal - Close relative of spinach

• Well studied

• Good conservation (ex situ)

• Use: seeds (less leaves)

Adaptability & Climate change

• Centre of origin: High Andes from Colombia to Argentina

• From sea level up to 4.500m

• Temperature range: -8°C to 38°C

• Humidity from 40% to 90%

• Tolerates saline soils

• Highly water efficient plant (low rainfall levels (100-200mm p.a.)

• Low input crop

• Established in areas unsuitable for other crops

• Impact of climate change on centre of origin in Bolivia and Peru

Nutritional aspects

• Ideal amino acids composition in both quality and quantity• Trace elements, vitamins , linoleic acids (omega-3), amylases, no gluten• Considered as superfood by NASA to be used in long-duration space travel• Highly nutritious leaves (not used)

Quinoa diversity and variability:• Grain Color (66 colours)• Vegetative cycle (110 a 210 days)• Protein content of the grain (10.21 to

18.39%)

Ex situ conservation &Genetic diversity

• More than 3.000 ecotypes conserved at INIAF genebank in Bolivia

Low productivity (annual yield of 573 kg / ha in Bolivia) Lack of good agricultural practices, improved varieties and

enhanced cultivation practices Drudgery in processing and value addition at farm level Considerable harvest and post harvest loss Perception of being “food of the poor” has changed in recent years,

but still a NUS crop in many other aspects

Field production system

winning washing drying milling

Improving processing technology of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa)

Quinoa Processing

Quinoa: Industrial processing

Traditional Uses & Consumption patterns

There are several products derived from quinoa, such as puffs, flour, pastas, drinks, flakes, granola, energy bars, etc.

Series of sub-products can be obtained for use as food, in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals

Requires the use of advanced technologies such as the extraction of quinoa oil, starch, saponins, colourings from the leaves and seeds, etc.

Quinoa: Non traditional uses

Novel applications: Natural Colorants

Marketing: Bolivian and Peruvian companies at BIOFACH 2009 in Germany

• Direct sales to international markets and increased market power for Bolivian farmers organized in big cooperatives

• Bolivian exports mostly as bulk quinoa seeds

• Value addition and processing mostly done by importers and processors in the US and EU

• Huge opportunities on growing organic and fair trade markets (90% of Bolivian exports are organic certified)

• Quinoa exports consist mostly of Bolivian organic quinoa Real (white quinoa).

• Exports of red and black quinoa are growing.

• Quinoa cultivation is expanding: 2010 production in the Andean Region was about 78,000 t with 41,000 t produced by Peru, 36,000 t by Bolivia (90% of world quinoa production).

• United States, Ecuador and Canada with about 10% of global production volumes.

• Quinoa is also cultivated in England, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy and France.

• In the Himalayas, the plains of Northern India and Kenya quinoa can develop successfully and with high yields

Quinoa Production

• Bolivia is the largest exporter of quinoa ( € 30 million, 15.116 tons in 2009) of the world followed by Peru (€ 4.6 million, 2.400 tons in 2009)

• In Bolivia 58% of total national quinoa production is still consumed domestically (Peru 94%)

• The price for quinoa sold by farmers has almost tripled, from US $ 800 (1999) to US $ 2.300 / ton (2008).

• The major importers of Bolivian quinoa grain are: United States (45%), France (16%), Netherlands (13%), Germany, Canada, Israel, Brazil, UK.

• Quinoa still remains relatively unknown to EU and US consumers.

Quinoa – Exports & Prices

Calculation of estimated value-added (US$ Dolar)

Quinoa, Puno (Peru), Harvest 2011

$4.50

Exporter In Peru

ImporterEU

Retail shop EU

Importing&DistributingCompanies

LocalFarmersTitikaka Lake

OrganicShops (mostly)

Middlemenor farmerassociation

Prices per / kilo $2.8$ 1.98

Farmer

$9.00

Cost of production $1.06

$0.92

$ 1.98

$0.70

$2.80

$1.20Net value added% of total value-added 56.8 %

$3.70

14.1 % 10.7 % 18.4 %

$4.50

Other inputs $ 0.12 $ 0.50 $ 0.80

Quinoa as a strategic product for the extremely marginalized area of southern altiplano of Bolivia has had a significant impact on the 20.000 households involved in production, processing and sales

Incomes have increased and will enable farmers to meet basic needs which today are unsatisfied (education, health, housing, electricity and water)

Impact on regional and district development growth

Many migrants have returned from cities and many small farms have been maintained

Livelihood benefits

Quinoa: Trade-offs of intensified production

Issue ImpactNo crop rotation More pests & diseases

Planting only in flat areas due to the need to use tractors

Higher yield but also higher risk of soil fertility loss

Mechanized ploughing using tractors

Soil erosion. Propagation of pests

Use of chemical pesticides Environmental contamination, residual effects

Increased sales of quinoa to markets and higher prices

Change of diets. Less quinoa and more white bleach flour products (pasta, bread)

Market preference for royal quinoa (white, large seeds)

Genetic erosion

• The current booming production of quinoa in the southern altiplano of Bolivia raises legitimate concerns about social and environmental sustainability in the region

• Rapid changes in crop systems are potentially threatening the environmental basis for a sustainable quinoa production and soil fertility

• We have still very limited knowledge about the relationship between the booming quinoa production and : the agro-ecological and social basis of quinoa sustainability potential change of dietary pattern of Bolivian farmers and erosion of intra-specific quinoa diversity

Sustainability issues

1. Quinoa has a high potential both for its nutritional benefits and its agricultural versatility to contribute to food security in various regions of the planet, especially in countries which are limited in food production or where the population has no access to protein sources.

2. By achieving substantial improvements in production technology, and assuming an integral perspective (organic farming, fair trade), the production levels could be improved to assist in sustainably improving the income for the quinoa-growing families.

3. Existing knowledge, technology and best practices for a sustainable intensification of quinoa production needs to be shared and scaled out.

4. Extension of quinoa outside the Andes potentially encouraged through the International Year of Quinoa: Issue of benefit sharing (Nagoya Protocol)?

Outlook

MUCHAS GRACIAS!!