United Nations Launches International Year of Quinoa

The United Nations will host an official launch ceremony for the International Year of Quinoa today at the UN General Assembly in New York. At the ceremony, José Graziano da Silva, director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, will appoint the President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Evo Morales, and the First Lady of Peru, Nadine Heredia, as FAO Special Ambassadors for the International Year.

According to a statement from the United Nations Regional Information Center, the International Year was declared “in recognition of the Andean peoples who have preserved quinoa as a food for present and future generations through their traditional knowledge and practices of living in harmony with nature.” Objectives for the year include raising awareness in how quinoa can provide nutrition, increase food security and help combat poverty through its production.

Quinoa is largely produced in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia and in coastal regions of Chile.

“Quinoa offers a powerful tool in the [global] fight against malnutrition and in generating income for the Andean population,” noted First Lady Heredia at a quinoa forum and expo hosted yesterday at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas in New York by Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Commerce and Tourism, Commission of Foreign Trade and Commerce and the Peruvian Embassy. Peru currently produces about 45,000 tons of quinoa per year.

Indicating quinoa’s high amounts of amino acids, vitamins, minerals and omega 3 fatty acids, in addition to its gluten-free status, Heredia noted that the grain is a “food for the future” that adapts to many cuisines and grows in various climates. “As quinoa is introduced to more countries around the world we can achieve a healthier future for people, decreasing childhood obesity and malnutrition.”

Upcoming activities to observe the year reportedly include a a global forum on quinoa to be held in Ecuador, and a multi-language quinoa cookbook.