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  • From: Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Geography in the News: Quinoa | Voices
  • Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2015 11:29:02 -0400

Geography in the News: Quinoa | Voices
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/30/geography-in-the-news-quinoa/

Geography in the News: Quinoa

*By Neal Lineback and Mandy Lineback Gritzner, **Geography in the NewsTM*

*Quinoa: An Old and New Nutritional Food in Western Diets *

In February, the United Nations declared 2013 “The International Year of
Quinoa.”

Quinoa is the latest trendy food originating in the developing world and
quickly popularized in the Western World. The crop is critical to the diet
of many in South America, but also has superb dietary benefits for
societies now “discovering” it.

Quinoa (KEEN-wah) has many qualities that ideally suit the palettes of
Americans and Europeans. While 30 years ago there was scarcely a market for
this crop outside of Bolivia and Peru, the export market currently is
booming and quinoa can be found in nearly all health food stores and large
supermarkets.

Quinoa is a seed likely native to the Altiplano in the Andes. The plant
belongs to the beet family, growing as an elongated vertical stalk with
rows of seeds on each. Quinoa has been domesticated in the Andes for at
least 3,000 years for human consumption, but perhaps it was harvested in
the wild for nearly 7,000 years.

According to an article in *Eating Well* (April 2013), Bolivia and Peru
produce 90 percent of the crop worldwide and Bolivia, the largest producer,
harvested 48,500 tons (44,000 metric tons) in 2012. Since 1999, Bolivian
production of quinoa has increased by at least 50 percent. The result of
quinoa’s new-found popularity is rapidly rising local prices.

Currently, most commercial quinoa is grown in the cold, dry Altiplano
between 8,202 to 13,123 feet (2500 and 4000 m.), but it is also found at
lower elevations in Chile and Peru. Varieties of the plant can withstand
some nighttime freezing temperatures and dry, infertile soils, while other
varieties can endure tropical moist environs. It is a very hardy and
adaptable plant.

The quinoa seeds (called grains) are harvested only by hand, thus limiting
its adoption as a crop in the world’s mechanized agriculture regions. The
seeds are dried and their bitter husks removed, leaving grains slightly
larger than rice. The bitter husk seems to dissuade birds from pirating the
seeds in the field.

Quinoa can be used in many recipes. It has a texture like rice, but
generally takes less time to cook. Unseasoned, quinoa has a slightly nutty
taste and it can be seasoned to suit nearly any palette. It fits well in
place of rice in most any meal, but it has far more dietary attributes than
rice.

As a basic food, quinoa is a “bonanza” of nutrition. Abundant in iron and
fiber, quinoa is a complete protein, providing all nine essential amino
acids. It is gluten free and most of the current production is grown
organically.

Quinoa thus provides vital nutrients to high elevation populations who lack
many cultivated fruits and vegetables. Perhaps even more crucial to the
Altiplano’s population is the fact that quinoa is quickly cooked, saving
home fuel. In the near absence of woody plants on the cold and barren
plains of the region, fuel is a premium.

Quinoa is now sold around the world, becoming popular not only in North
America, but in Europe, Asia and Africa, as well. The Chinese and Japanese
markets for quinoa are particularly increasing. Its 2011 value per ton on
the world markets was nearly 10 times that of wheat. Up until now, quinoa
as a crop has not been widely adopted in other countries, perhaps because
of its intense labor requirements, but it is only a matter of time.

As the market cost of quinoa has increased in Bolivia, there have been
benefits and penalties to the Bolivian population in general. Farmers’
incomes have increased exponentially, even drawing some rural-to-urban
migrants back to farming. On the other hand, the rising price of quinoa in
the local markets has created a *food security* issue, particularly among
the poorer non-farm population.

Such food security issues often occur in developing countries. As economies
change from self-sufficient farming to commercial farming, often either the
land is removed from food crop production or the food itself is sold in
international markets at higher prices than the local population can
afford. In both cases, food prices quickly escalate, affecting the poorest,
weakest, youngest and oldest segments of the population the most. In the
case of Bolivia, removal of nutrient-rich quinoa from diets may have
particularly detrimental and lasting effects on Bolivia’s youngest
generation.

And that is *Geography in the NewsTM*

Sources: GITN 1195 A New Food in Western Diets, April 26, 2013; Thompson,
Matt, “Quinoa,” *Eating Well*, April 2013;
www.cookingquinoa.net/how-to-cook-quinoa; and
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice

Co-authors are Neal Lineback, Appalachian State University Professor
Emeritus of Geography, and Geographer Mandy Lineback Gritzner. University
News Director Jane Nicholson serves as technical editor.



  • [permaculture] Geography in the News: Quinoa | Voices, Lawrence London, 04/24/2015

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