International Year of Quinoa!
Today, theUnited Nations and the Andean community of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Perucame together to launch the “International Year of Quinoa” in order to raiseawareness of the nutritional, economic, environmental, and cultural values ofthe food. Quinoa has the potentialto help with food security and reducing poverty for small farmers in the world,as well as ensure an environmentally sustainable agriculture.
“Many nations in South America are making strong progress towardmeeting the Millennium Development Goal,” Mr. Ban said, including by increasingfood production, reducing poverty and increasing access to nutritious food likequinoa.
While adopting theresolution to honor quinoa with its own year, the UN body also gave recognitionto the Andean indigenous peoples who have been cultivating more than half ofthe annual 70,000 tons of quinoa.
In the same way, becauseof its nutritional value, the price of quinoa has risen on the world market,making it more attractive to large companies.
FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said combatinghunger requires leadership from countries and strong support from theinternational community.