Resumen

MEDRANO ECHALAR, Ana Maria  y  TORRICO, Juan Carlos. Consequences of quinoa production (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) increased in the southern altiplano of Bolivia. CienciAgro [online]. 2009, vol.1, n.4, pp. 116-122. ISSN 2072-1404.

Bolivia faces serious problems of soil degradation. Nearly 48% of the country is eroded, and this problem affects the whole area of the administrative districts of Oruro, Potosi, Chuquisaca, and Tarija. Agricultural production in the high plateau (altiplano region) is limited to few crops where "quinoa real" (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) stands out. The quinoa grain is characterized by high nutritive value because of its composition and relationship quantity/quality of protein. Traditionally, quinoa was sowed in hills and slopes by a manual procedure. As a response to the growing international demand and rising prices, expansion of the cultivation in the form of intensive monoculture took place, which generated a negative impact on the fragile ecosystems of the altiplano region. This phenomenon may also be involved in the decrease food security in the study area by changes in eating habits

Palabras llave : Bolivia; soil; land; erosion; quinoa.