International year of the quinoa (IYQ-2013)

THE YEAR 2013 has been declared ‘The International Year of the Quinoa’ (IYQ), recognising the Andean indigenous peoples who have maintained, controlled, protected and preserved quinoa as food for present and future generations, thanks to their traditional knowledge and practices of living in harmony with the earth and nature.

The International Year of the Quinoa (IYQ) was proposed by the government of Bolivia, with support from Argentina, Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Georgia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay, and the FAO and was approved by the United Nations  General Assembly in December 2011. The Conference takes note of the exceptional nutritional qualities of quinoa, its adaptability to different agro-ecological floors, and its potential contribution to the fight against hunger and malnutrition.