Ontario specialty crop growers may be interested in a new report released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).  The report is a follow up from the International Year of Quinoa in 2013.

“The scientific studies and articles compiled herein describe with precision the potential contribution of quinoa and its limitations with regard to its cultivation, and promote its consumption in different parts of the world. The state of the world’s quinoa tracks the “footsteps” of quinoa to determine current sectorial trends in 2013 for this exceptional crop which, due to its nutritional qualities, its diversity and its resistance to drought and cold, has been identified as an important alternative to contribute to global food security, especially in areas where the population has no access to adequate sources of protein, or where there are environmental constraints to food crop production.”

The 605 page report is available as a free download from the FAO website.

For Ontario specific information on quinoa, please refer to the following sources:
1. OMAFRA Specialty Cropportunities Quinoa Crop Profile
2. OMAFRA ON Organic Newsletter, Vol 6. Issue 10: Keen-what? Quinoa: Things to consider for quinoa production.