Quinoa potential answer to sustainable agriculture, food security

INCREASINGLY regarded as a major contributor to global food security, quinoa is at the center stage of UAE’s efforts to achieve sustainable agricultural productivity.

The recent ‘Quinoa Open Day’ celebration organized by the Ministry of Environment and Water at Agriculture Innovation Center (AIC) in the Agriculture Innovation Center, Al Dhaid, Sharjah, highlighted the importance of quinoa as a strategic alternative for marginal environments. The event was attended by the Consul of the Republic of Peru, H.E. Carlos Tegara, and was organized in cooperation with the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), United Arab Emirates University, Food Security Centre – Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Farmer’s Services Center, and private sector companies interested in the production of feeds and seeds, poultry, and cattle. It is part of the ministry’s commitment to encourage quinoa cultivation in the country in order to diversify agricultural production systems. 

Quinoa is an important candidate in achieving sustainable agricultural productivity and enhancing food security, a priority under the UAE Vision 2021 national agenda. Increasingly seen as a competitor to wheat products, quinoa contains more protein than rice and wheat. It also has amino acids, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid and acid Omega 3.

The Ministry of Environment and Water is currently working on cultivating quinoa within agricultural crops and training farmers through extension programs provided by engineers and agricultural extension workers, according to H.E. Eng. Saif Al-Shara’, assistant undersecretary for Agricultural and Livestock Affairs.

In addition to emphasizing the importance of spreading the best agricultural practices to increase the production of local farmers, the project can help determine the capability of quinoa to adapt to production. It can help evaluate quinoa’s usage systems and its tolerability to various levels of salinity and temperature shifts. The findings of the project will also help evaluate the impact of these factors on growth, productivity, and nutritional value levels.

Three farms have been selected to be a base for quinoa. These will serve as pioneers in the ministry’s efforts to spread the cultivation of quinoa among farmers.

Experiments showed quinoa’s ability to tolerate high salinity levels and grow in nutrient-deficient soil types such as sand and in dry environments with less than 200mm rainfall, all of which reflect successful cultivation of quinoa in the state. The results also prove quinoa thrives on the drip irrigation technique crucial to water conservation.