The International Year of Quinoa" (2013)
In order to improve public knowledge of the benefits of the grain crop quinoa for nutrition, food security, and the eradication of poverty worldwide, the International Year of Quinoa was established.
The goal of the Year of Quinoa was to draw attention to quinoa, a seed that was first grown for food in the Andes, primarily in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, and its "nutritional, economic, environmental, and cultural worth." 2013 also marked the first International Year of Water Cooperation.
Quinoa is the only plant food that is gluten free
The only plant food that is devoid of gluten, abundant in protein, and composed of all nine essential amino acids is quinoa. It can also readily adapt to many ecologies, making it possible for it to flourish in a variety of climates and soil types.
Quinoa is a great food source in areas where ecological conditions prevent other food crops from flourishing and in areas where animal protein does not play a significant role in daily diets due to its nutritional content and adaptability.
Quinoa can be used as a way to prevent hunger
The main goal of the year, with the Food and Agriculture Organization in charge, was to underline how quinoa can be used as a means of preventing hunger and reducing population poverty.
The IYQ also wanted to gain a better understanding of quinoa markets in order to link current and prospective producers with the market and to promote the exchange of knowledge about the seed from the scientific community.
Events
A global symposium on quinoa, to be held in Ecuador, competitions for creative quinoa uses, the creation of a multilingual quinoa cookbook, and the start of a global day of quinoa were among the events held to commemorate the year.
Objectives of the International Year of Quinoa (IYQ)
- To encourage more international collaboration and partnerships between public, private, and non-governmental players engaged in the cultivation, marketing, and sustainable use of quinoa globally.
- To increase public awareness of the need for quinoa growing methods that are more environmentally friendly and to suggest enabling laws that will support quinoa conservation and use on a global scale.
- To increase public knowledge of the benefits and attributes of quinoa.
- To boost local inhabitants' self-sufficiency and nutritional status.
- To acknowledge the essential role that indigenous people play in maintaining quinoa for both current and future generations.
- To produce fresh information and encourage the sharing of knowledge
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