Challenges and opportunities in the quinoa value chain in Argentina, ten years after the boom

Abstract

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2013 as the "International Year of Quinoa", generating a peak in international demand, which seems to have been diluted. It is timely to investigate what the performance of this value chain has been ten years after the event that started the boom in this demand. The objective of this paper is to analyze the recent evolution of the quinoa value chain produced in Argentina in order to identify its main challenges and opportunities, using a qualitative methodology based on documentary sources (15) and interviews with key informants (9). The data analysis was carried out following the global value chains approach that includes six categories: input and output structure, geographic scope, governance, upgrading, institutional context and stakeholders. The results show that some of the objectives related to seed development and certification have been achieved, but challenges associated with the substitution of imported quinoa and commercialization beyond the local market remain. This research reinforces the idea that the most appropriate path for expanding quinoa production in Argentina comes from the expansion of the crop into traditionally agricultural areas, and the continuity and reinforcement of smaller-scale primary production.