Argentina: Damián Alcoba, from INTA, recounted the process to achieve the first variety of quinoa registered in Argentina

Published Mar 18, 2021

Tridge summary

The Institute for Small Family Farming (IPAF) of the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) in Argentina started studying Andean crops in 2005, with a focus on quinoa in 2005-2006 due to its high market demand and nutritional value. The team aimed to improve quinoa production technology and seed availability. They developed equipment to replace manual labor and registered the first quinoa variety with the National Seed Institute in 2019. The IPAF also supports small producers in Jujuy, Catamarca, and Salta in cultivating quinoa, understanding the importance of genetic diversity and the potential of family farming to conserve and select superior varieties. This effort aims to add value to quinoa seeds and strengthen the sector, which represents over 80% of agricultural holdings in Jujuy.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Between 2005 and 2006, the INTA of the NOA region began studies on Andean crops and observed that quinoa, an ancient crop, had a sustained demand and significant prices in the market, despite being very marginal as an economic activity. This situation led the technicians to get involved in their way of production, to such an extent that in 20199 they managed to register the first variety of that millennial crop before the National Seed Institute (INASE). The road to that happy ending began when the team of the Institute for Small Family Farming (IPAF) of INTA for the NOA region, led by Damián Alcoba, identified two important bottlenecks: firstly, there was no adequate technology to carry out this type of crop and secondly, the availability of seeds was very scarce. At this point we can say that quinoa is an Andean grain without gluten and with a high content of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron and magnesium. It has great adaptability to the environment, tolerance to water ...

Source: Bichos de campo