Andean Grain III

Lead Organization:

Fundacion EkoRural

Partner Organizations:

INIAP, CORPOPURUWA, APROSANAMY, CIAL Saquisilí

Community of Practice:

Andes

Countries:

Bolivia

Duration:

5/2014—11/2015

Overview:

The demand in Ecuador for production and consumption of lupin, amaranth, and particularly quinoa has increased considerably recently. With the growth of quinoa demand in the U.S. and European markets, the Ecuadorian government has vowed to expand quinoa production fivefold in 2014. Such expansion will depend heavily on the Andean Grains project to deliver technological innovations.

The CCRP-funded grant supporting Andean Grains in Ecuador for the past eight years was led by CORPOINIAP, a semi-private entity with a mandate to manage funds for INIAP, the Ecuadorian research institute. It closed in 2012. INIAP decided to collaborate with EkoRural, a non-government development organization to continue research activities for this project.

Grant Aims:

  • Generate segregating populations and lines to obtain new quinoa varieties with the best agricultural characteristics and acceptance by farmers and the market.
  • Identify sources of resistance to anthracnose in attacks to INIAP’s lupin germplasm bank in conjunction with EkoRural.
  • Strengthen the community’s biodiversity management by increasing the use of good-quality Andean grains seeds in communities of provinces Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Bolivar, Cañar, and Loja.
  • Seek new quinoa varieties with large, white grains resistant to mildew, low saponin content, early-maturing, high performance, and adaptable to agro-climatic conditions and smallholder farmers’ preferences.
  • Start a cross plan to develop lupin varieties resistant to anthracnose, which can completely destroy a lupin field.

Outputs and Outcomes:

  • Segregated populations and lines to obtain new varieties of quinoa with better agronomic characteristics and with market and farmer acceptance generated.
  • Sources of resistance to anthracnose will be identified in accessions in the lupin germplasm bank at INIAP.
  • Enhanced project relations with farmers for evaluation, promotion and dissemination of quinoa, amaranth and lupine seed under high Andes agroecological conditions.
  • Increase in quality of Andean Grain seed in target communities will contribute to food security, income, and enhanced community agrobiodiversity conservation and use.