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AgriVet Introduces The First Quinoa Crop in Mongolian History

Spring, 2011

AgriVet's founder journeyed to Mongolia and took, as a humanitarian gesture, a few kilograms of Quinoa seed. The result - the first Quinoa plants in Mongolia's history. AgriVet staff have been working closely with the Khentii Aimag (province) Farmer's Cooperative and scientists from the Mongolian State University of Agricultural. Test and seed crops were reported growing well in Khentiii aimag.

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Quinoa is a highly nutritious food. The nutritional quality of this crop has been compared to that of dried whole milk by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Mongolia's traditional culture is that of milk during the summer months and meat during the colder winter months.

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It is estimated that between 340 and as much as 950 billion square kilometers, equivalent to about 20% of the arid and semiarid soils of the world, or 6% of the world land area, are saline.

Saline soils are found in Mongolia's Gobi Desert Region where drought, extreme temperatures, and nutrient deficiency go hand in hand, and where scarce precipitation and high evaporation hinder a leaching out of the salts that accumulate in the upper soil layers. These conditions are adversely affecting crop production.

Most crops are sensitive to salt. Studies have shown that Quinoa has the ability to accumulate salt. This indicates that quinoa may be used to clean salt contaminated soils. Quinoa crop rotation could be used in bio-remediation of the soil conditions allowing other crops to be planted in previously unusable soils.

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We felt that the introduction of this new super grain will have nationwide, positive social and economic implications for Mongolia due to its vast nourishing potential and its unbelievable ability to adapt to extreme conditions. It is tolerant to drought, salinity, frost, and submersion.

Until today the possible agricultural utilization of the Gobi's saline lands has been largely overlooked. But if worthless, saline lands and waters are used to grow Quinoa, able to produce some useful yield, albeit at a lower levels than in good arable lands, then the economic framework of the Gobi can be totally different.

The attribution of a monetary value to such items would give to the bio-saline agriculture of the Gobi region the right to claim a financial support to integrate the limited direct farm income from herding.

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A variety of new resources need to be tapped in order to fill our basic needs for food, feed in the Gobi region. It is our sincere belief that Quinoa will become the main resource for a brighter agricultural, economic and social future.

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