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International Year of Quinoa launched

21.02.2013

The International Year of Quinoa was launched this week at a ceremony at UN headquarters in New York, where the crop’s potential in the fight against hunger was underlined.

The event was attended by top officials from the Andean countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, in whose mountains the superfood originated.

"Quinoa is an ancestral gift of the Andean people," said Bolivian president Evo Morales, underlining that indigenous people have acted as custodians of quinoa for more than 7000 years.

The cereal-like crop is the only plant food that has all the essential amino acids, trace elements and vitamins, and it is also highly resilient and adaptable, growing from sea level to an altitude of 4,000 metres.

“I hope this International Year will be a catalyst for learning about the potential of quinoa for food and nutrition security, for reducing poverty – especially among the world’s small farmers – and for environmentally sustainable agriculture,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the launch, highlighting that it could play a role in his Zero Hunger Challenge.

Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General José Graziano da Silva described the crop as “a new ally in the fight against hunger and food insecurity”.

Besides in the Andean countries of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and Argentina, quinoa is now also produced in the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Kenya and India.

Photo (c) Biodiversity International / Flickr