Recovering from quinoa: regenerative agricultural research in Bolivia

Abstract

Our objective was to research ways to introduce regenerative agriculture into the fragile landscape of the Southern Altiplano of Bolivia. The quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) boom (2010–2014) had stimulated farmers to clear large areas of native vegetation: a climax community of shrubs, grasses and cacti. Most fields were soon abandoned, and native plants did not grow back spontaneously. Wind was rapidly eroding the sandy soils. Botanical exploration, informed by local knowledge, discovered species and ecotypes of wild plants, especially shrubs, legumes, grasses and cacti that could be grown as intercrops and as live barriers to control erosion. These plants were evaluated in farmers’ fields, using participatory research. New varieties of quinoa were developed by conventional plant breeding. Researchers learned to grow wild shrubs and grasses in live barriers, to control soil erosion. Wild, native lupines were cultivated for the first time, to use as cover crops. Native cacti were grown in nurseries to encourage farmers to plant them near fields. The new quinoa varieties were better adapted to the local environment. We conclude that this innovative, broad-spectrum research agenda is a kind of plant breeding at the level of the whole landscape. These multiple lines of research are important for developing a diverse, integrated, regenerative agriculture.