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Story Publication logo December 17, 2024

The Golden Grain of the Andes (German)

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English

This project investigates environmental neocolonialism, its mechanism, and its consequences on the...

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An English summary of this report is below. The original report, published in German in Geo, follows.

Cool is the wind that the Indigenous Aymara call "Wayra" in their language. For thousands of years, it has been reliably blowing salt from the Bolivian desert onto the altiplano, the South American plateau more than 4,000 meters high. The wind makes Bolivia's pride—quinoa—thrive on the barren soil.

Long the basis of livelihood for people on the altiplano, quinoa was declared a "superfood" and is on the crossroads with corresponding consequences for farmers in the developing countries of South America.

This report documents why without quinoa, survival in this environment would have hardly been possible, why climate change makes cultivation and harvest difficult, and why quinoa is so healthy.


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