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profitable crop that can currently be grown at the altitudes that these farmers are operating at. This same

altitude that makes quinoa so suited to this region, however, could also force Andean farmers out of the

market altogether. Quinoa is one of only a handful of domesticated crops that has the necessary resilience to

survive on the steep alpine slopes that these farmers produce on. This is not to say that quinoa can only be

grown in these regions though. In recent years quinoa has spread worldwide, with production now occurring

in Europe, North America and Africa in industrial quantities (FAO 2013). This has resulted in a global

explosion of supply for quinoa, and a corresponding drop in prices.

At the present, the price has stabilised, however there are suggestions that many producers, both

Andean and European, are hoarding quinoa waiting for prices to increase again (ITC 2016). Should these

farmers choose to release their grain onto the international market? this would cause a further slump in prices.

In this instance, the Andean farmers are likely to be the first to suffer, as their steep, rugged plots combined

with traditional subsistence lifestyles leave their crop yields up to eight times lower than nations with

topography more suited to agriculture (The Economist, 2016).

QUINOA, THE ENVIRONMENT AND AGROBIODIVERSITY

When a crop transitions into a highly sought-after commodity there is always a risk of a high

environmental cost. Quinoa is one of the few mainstream crops that are known to be very productive on

traditionally infertile landscapes. Shorter days and lower temperatures induce the best cultivation for this crop

which requires a very specific altitude and ecosystem to grow in (Lansdowne 2015). This crop can develop in

areas of low precipitation and irrigation, preferring 10 to 15 inches of precipitation per annum (Oelke 1992).

Quinoa can develop in a combination of sandy-loam soils with pHs that range between either highly acidic

(4.8) or moderately alkaline (8.5) (Oelke 1992). These requirements make quinoa an ideal crop for the South

American Andean region quinoa responds well to nitrogen fertilizer application at ideal rates of 150 to 180 lbs

N/acre (Oelke 1992).

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