A political agro-ecology of framing and farming Quinoa in Switzerland

Quinoa is a pseudo-cereal, originating from Andean region of South America. It has been domesticated 7000 years ago and continuously selected thanks to the effort of generations of South American farmers. Once a “neglected” “food of the poor” quinoa has seen its popularity and demand rapidly increase when labeled as a “superfood” thanks to its agronomic and nutritional properties.

In parallel with the increasing import of quinoa, several initiatives to breed quinoa varieties suitable for production outside the Andes have been launched. In 2015, quinoa varieties were cultivated or tested in 95 countries worldwide (Bazile et al., 2016, p. 3). In 2014, IP-Suisse, started testing and promoting the production of quinoa in Switzerland, with financial support of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. In 2017, 34 Swiss farmers (14 in French speaking Switzerland) affiliated to IP-Suisse were producing quinoa on a total of 42ha (IP-Suisse, 2017) and a new food chain had established.

In the frame of our new exploratory research project, we will question the socio-political configuration that led to the promotion of quinoa production in Switzerland as well as the socio-political and agro-ecological effects of this new and uncontroversial cultivation.

Le «Bouillon d'idées» est un séminaire proposé par le groupe de recherche «Développement, Sociétés, Environnements», dans lequel les chercheuses et les chercheurs sont invité·e·s à présenter une recherche en cours.

L'entrée est libre. N'hésitez pas à amener votre repas.