Source: CropBiotech Update

The Foundation for Agricultural Innovation of the Ministry for Agriculture of Chile has announced the launch of the first crop of improved varieties of quinoa in the Chilean plateau, as part of an effort to boost the income of small scale growers that depend on this crop for subsistence. Quinoa still constitutes the most important food and feed crop for many Andean rural communities; however, it is still cultivated with little economic handling. The project aims to innovate the technology of Quinoa production, and expects to raise yields by 200-300%.

Quinoa, the sacred “mother of all grains” (chisaya mama) to the Inca civilization, is one of the three staple crops, along with potatoes and maize, of the Andes. Quinoa not only contains more protein than any other grain (between 11 and 20%), but also has a balanced set of essential amino acids (similar to milk), which makes it an ideal food to complement other grains which are low in lysine, such as wheat and rice.

For more information (in Spanish) visit: http://www.fia.cl/contenido.asp?id_contenido=977&id_tipo=1