Giving Compass' Take:

• Sophie Maes explains how quinoa's newfound popularity has driven up the price, creating new revenue for Peruvian farmers, but fundamentally changing the farming practices in the region. 

• How can funders help farmers and communities in Peru thrive sustainably? 

• Learn how a similar grain, fonio, is making an impact in West Africa. 

The recent interest in quinoa, considered a superfood, has boosted livelihoods for farming communities in rural Peru. However, as its popularity has soared, international competition now threatens the country’s position as the world’s largest quinoa producer, the BBC reports.

In 2016, Peru and neighboring Bolivia maintained an 80% market share of the world’s quinoa trade. Since then, this percentage has decreased to 72% and may continue to drop as the US, Canada, and Argentina have begun producing quinoa.

Though quinoa has been a culturally significant food for generations among Peruvian farmers living in the Andes, the “pseudo-grain” only recently became popular in the US and globally for its health benefits in recent years. Quinoa has an unusually high protein content compared to other grains, between 14% and 18%, and as a result has been readily embraced by vegetarians and vegans. As a superfood, quinoa also contains amino acids, calcium, magnesium, and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients, which can prevent disease.

The global demand for quinoa is proving to be a double-edged sword for Peruvian farmers.

In the last decade, subsistence farmers living in the Andes have begun selling their crops on the global market. Through these livelihoods, farmers like Cisneros can afford to educate their children and purchase a home. The increase in quinoa farming may also reduce the gender gap in harvesting communities, as women make up nearly 40% of quinoa farmers in Peru.

However, as quinoa’s place in the global economy rises, questions have been raised about its impact on food security in Peru, Bolivia, and other countries where the crop is grown. But whether the positive impact of the growing industry outweighs the negative is disputed.

Read the full article about quinoa in Peru by Sophie Maes at Global Citizen.