Universities and research institutes from Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Peru are joining forces to carry out the FONTAGRO project “Sustainable management of irrigation and fertilization in quinoa”, with an investment of USD 658,849.
Proper water and fertilization management is central to optimizing crop yields. In the case of quinoa, despite being a water and nitrogen efficient crop, inefficacious management translates into declines in profitability and food security, particularly for small farmers and self-consumption production systems.
Faced with this scenario, in order to generate knowledge under field conditions, expand the geographical region of cultivation and include computer tools to guide quinoa management, the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) – Argentina, the Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) – Chile, Universidad Austral de Chile (UACH) – Chile, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM) – Peru and Universidad Nacional de Loja (UNL) – Ecuador, have joined forces to carry out the FONTAGRO Project “Sustainable management of irrigation and fertilization in quinoa“, with an investment of USD 658. 849.
Led by researcher Daniel Bertero (UBA), the technological solutions provided by this project will directly benefit 1,560 producers in Chile, Ecuador and Peru, located in inter-Andean valleys and coastal environments, reaching both small farmers and producer associations in the area of influence. It will also benefit agronomists, technicians and students involved in quinoa cultivation, who will receive training in the use of computer tools.
This project hopes to reduce yield gaps associated with inadequate irrigation and fertilization management in quinoa. This will bring yields closer to those limited by water availability through better management of fertilization strategies. This will reduce the environmental impact, for example, associated with inadequate or excessive use of irrigation or nitrogen. By increasing yields through greater efficiency in the use of resources, it is expected to contribute to the improvement of farmers’ quality of life by increasing the profitability of their farms.
