Quinoa the Economic Hope of the Altiplano Bolivia
by James Brunker
Title
Quinoa the Economic Hope of the Altiplano Bolivia
Artist
James Brunker
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Red royal quinoa / quinoa real plants growing next to abandoned houses on the altiplano in southwest Bolivia. Quinoa (sometimes spelled quinua, Chenopodium quinoa) was domesticated 3-4,000 years ago in the Andes and has long been an important part of the indigenous people's diet in that region. It has become increasingly popular in many countries as a health food and an important export crop as a result in especially Peru and Bolivia, where it can easily be grown in barren areas where agriculture is otherwise very difficult. Many villages across the region have been gradually abandoned due to the lack of work opportunities, as quinoa's popularity has boomed in recent years many villagers now return for part of the year to grow the crop again in their old fields.
This shot was taken near the village of Las Salinas de Garci Mendoza which is often called Bolivia's quinoa capital. The mountain on the right is the Tunupa volcano (5320m / 17,460ft). The finest Quinoa Real / Royal Quinoa is said to be grown in this part of Bolivia near the Salar de Uyuni due to the extra salt and minerals in the soil.
All images © James Brunker. Reproduction, transmission or use in any form (print, website, copying and uploading directly to social media sites rather than sharing etc) without prior written permission strictly prohibited.
Uploaded
May 26th, 2020
Embed
Share
Comments
There are no comments for Quinoa the Economic Hope of the Altiplano Bolivia. Click here to post the first comment.