Abstract
Quinoa is a grain that has seen a rapid consumption boom in recent years. Chile has also followed this trend through quinoa consumption associated with a healthy diet and environmental care. The correlation between quinoa crops and farming sustainability lays mainly in the actions and expertise of the agents involved in the decision-making process, who depend on the available experience and knowledge. Multicriteria decision analysis is a set of support techniques in the decision-making process. It consists of directing multiple opinions and assessment criteria, in specific actions, validated by an interest group. This study is based on the definition and weighting of the criteria that influence the sustainability of quinoa as a crop in contrast with the wheat as the most important crop in the rainfed area, taking into account the opinions of farmers and other parties involved. The findings are the weighting of the criteria of the following variables: contribution to family income, ease of sales, positive impact on the environment, production cost savings, knowledge of the crop, and government support. The model helped to create a quantitative basis for the sustainability potential of quinoa as a booming crop and as an alternative for the traditional wheat crop in farming.
Highlights
The United Nations declared 2013 as the international year of quinoa; this raised new hopes about its potential to contribute to a healthy diet
There has been a progressive increase in quinoa crop production and demand
Many of the producers in Chile are located in the regions of Tarapaca, Valparaiso, O’Higgins, and Araucania
Summary
The United Nations declared 2013 as the international year of quinoa; this raised new hopes about its potential to contribute to a healthy diet. In Chile, it was estimated that during the 2015-2016 crop season, quinoa production reached 620 tons; it was cultivated over an area of 706 hectares, with an average yield of 1.0 tons ha-1 (FIA, 2017) In this context, many of the producers in Chile are located in the regions of Tarapaca, Valparaiso, O’Higgins, and Araucania. Previous studies have documented that wheat is one of the primary candidates for agricultural production in the rainfed O’Higgins region (Bazile et al, 2013) Bearing this analytic framework in mind, farmers, technical professionals, government officials, and scholars must identify the potential change from wheat crops to quinoa crops. Our study suggests that in the rainfed area of the O’Higgins region, the decision regarding quinoa or wheat crops depends on economic, technical, political and environmental factors. The findings of this case study are the first regarding quinoa carried out in the rainfed area of the O’Higgins region in Chile
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