IX World Quinoa Congress, Canar-Ecuador

After more than two years of planning and preparation, the IX World Quinua Congress was held in Cañar, Ecuador from November 18th to 25th in the facilities on the Quilloac Bilingual Educational Center and in surrounding fields. This program features participants from universities and agencies around Ecuador, as well as others from Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia, France, and The United States. There was widespread support from local businesses and government agencies. International organizations such as McKnight Foundation, TRIAS, and Heifer Project made this program possible. The Ecuadorian Department of Agriculture (MAG) and the Institute of Agricultural Reserch (INIAP) were also instrumental. In addition, here was an extensive products fair featuring buinesses from the area, with participation from some from other countries. The fair offered foods. handicrafts, and other products. There were lively cultural events presenting music, dance, and other arts. A local business was responsible for the meals and refreshments, guaranteeing delicious and nourishing food for participants and visitors. 

Most importantly, this was a celebration of the role of quinua and other Andean grains in the lives, the history, the culture and the economy of the Indigenous Peoples of the Andes. This was a Congress that addressed the needs and concerns of the farmers and the people of the area. The Kichwa Kañari people sponsored and hosted this event through their Agricultural Association, Mushuk Yuyay. They were also honored to host the Peruvian Cañari delegation. The two Cañari communities have been separated since the Incan conquest, and the exchange was delightful and extremely significant. Several other Indigenous nations were also included, bringing their questions and concerns to the Congress, and taking away renewed interest in cultivating and consuming quinua.

The X World Quinua Congress will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The responsibility of hosting that Congress was presented in an elaborate ceremony at the close of the IX World Quinua Congress.

This Congress will be followed up by programs of marketing, consumption of quinua products, and expanded quinua cultivation. These efforts will result in stabilized local economies, improved local health, and employment opportunities which lead to decreased emigration. 

After the close of this Quinua Congress, we will close the appeal on GlobalGiving. However, the other Mushuk Yuyay projects are still active, and appeals are continuing because the need is still great, the the projects are growing.