Abstract

The IYQ-2013 highlighted the huge biodiversity of quinoa crop and its high nutritional value. This international recognition conferred a new status to this minor crop for food and agriculture. The rapid global spread of quinoa is not based on the biodiversity that is not easily available outside the Andes. Preserving quinoa genetic diversity may implied local actors considering their knowledge accumulated during generations of farmers. A new way of doing research may be invent for considering both genetic resources and traditional knowledge.

Keywords: Chenopodium quinoa willd; Andes; Heritage; Agrobiodiversity; Knowledge; Local communities; Global market; Trends; Adaptation

Abbreviations: CBD: United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity; CIRAD: Centre de cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement; FAO: United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture; ITPGRFA: International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; FAO: United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture; IYQ: International Year of Quinoa