Quinoa, a pseudocereal native to Bolivia, is growing in
popularity, although TPP still thinks it has a grassy sort of non-descript
taste that he can’t get excited about.
However its popularity in North America is driving up demand and prices
such that growers in the Andes make more money selling it as an export
crop. This means the price is too
expensive for farm workers who would be harvesting this crop and eating it as a staple food. Until this situation has improved, TPP
resolves not to buy any more quinoa.
If a variety that grows well in North America is found that may solve this problem, and since it was probably domesticated from a weed, this might not be too tough. Years ago TPP found a similar situation in southern India, a region
where cashews were grown. Oh, yes,
cashews at the local producers price!
But cashews were such a valuable export crop you could not find any for
sale anywhere right where they were being grown! This gives you some idea of how the global
commodities market doesn’t work for people at the low end of the
economic scale.
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6 comments:
There aren't many things that do work for people at the low end of the economic scale.
Yes, a universal truism if ever there was one.
Large farms grow export crops, farm workers on low wages can't afford food. I think this is a world-wide land tenure issue and not eating quinoa might not help those farm workers if the owners switch to another export crop. Small farmers can feed their families first and sell surplus, possibly for a good price if through a coop, but they seem to be losing ground to the consolidation of farms and sales to foreign owners.
Let me get this straight. You are boycotting imported Quinoa because the people who grow and sell it are earning too much money? Notify Fair Trade! How dare they charge more for their crops?! The money that export quinoa brings into the economy may not be equally distributed, but as JFK said, a rising tide lifts all boats. You may be upset that some people aren't benefiting as much as they should from economic activity-that is an argument worth having. But the termination of that economic activity (what if everyone in N. Am. participated in your boycott) would hurt those parties for which you express your sympathy.
Oh, please TPP is looking for a reason not to eat quinoa.
A good summary of the economic trade-offs at Slate (hardly the Cato Institute when it comes to free trade).
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/01/quinoa_bad_for_bolivian_and_peruvian_farmers_ignore_the_media_hand_wringing.html
For what it's worth, I love quinoa boiled al dente, served cold in a salad with feta and roasted pumpkin and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. All the quinoa I eat, however, is grown in Australia. If the Andean quinoa were cheaper here, I would buy that.
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