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HAND IN HAND – Anapqui / Bolivia


At around 3500 – 4200 m a.s.l. the smallholder-cooperative ANAPQUI (Asociación Nacional de Productores de Quinua) grows its quinoa for Rapunzel. Felicidad Gonzales is one of the cooperative’s peasants and members: „It’s pleasing how quinoa cultivation has developed through the years. In the end we owe that to organic farming and fair trade. A lot of families returned because of the good prospects quinoa cultivation offers today”.

more about quinoa
Small and big grains are separated manually in the wind
Small and big grains are separated manually in the wind
Small and big grains are separated manually in the wind

Cultivation, Processing and Export


Traditional manual labor


The traditional cultivation of quinoa required a lot of manual work and was very time-consuming. Because of the increasing demand the quinoa is not only cultivated on impassable slopes but also on plains. The soil is prepared with machines but the harvest is done by hand. The quinoa is threshed by a tractor driving over the quinoa. After the threshing the quinoa is separated manually using the wind.

The HAND IN HAND Fund helps


Aside from quinoa, potatoes and beans are grown traditionally for subsistence in the high plains and almost every peasant raises cattle, mostly lamas. As traditional, manual quinoa cultivation requires a lot of work and time, intensive quinoa cultivation methods spread more and more destroying the natural vegetation as the soil is ploughed by tractors. Even after years of lying fallow the soil surface hardly recovers. Rapunzel therefore funds the afforestation of the high plain with bushes and shrubs as well as the development of alternative and sustainable forms of cultivation through the HAND IN HAND fund (funded with 9.000 € in 2006 and 2008).

"The grain of the Incas"


For millennia, quinoa has been a greatly significant crop for the Andes’ natives. The plant itself is a yearlong, 0.5 – 2 m, very resistant herb that blossoms even on scant and salty soils and under extreme conditions. The remarkable protein content of about 15% and the high concentration of iron, magnesium, zinc, calcium and vitamin E make quinoa a high-grade food that excellently adds to a balanced and healthy diet: Quinoa can also be used as a kitchen all-rounder.

Recipes with quinoa


Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Quinoa and Cranberries
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Quinoa and Cranberries
Baked butternut squash with quinoa, veggies, chickpea and currant
Baked butternut squash with quinoa, veggies, chickpea and currant
Quinoa salad with peaches and almond
Quinoa salad with peaches and almond
Histamine free oriental quinoa bowl with tahini and fried Halloumi
Histamine free oriental quinoa bowl with tahini and fried Halloumi
Quinoa Zucchini Beignets
Quinoa Zucchini Beignets
Lunch Bowl with roasted Vegetables, sautéed Chard, Quinoa & Avocado
Lunch Bowl with roasted Vegetables, sautéed Chard, Quinoa & Avocado
Quinoa Salad with Borlotti Beans, Olives and Mint Leaves
Quinoa Salad with Borlotti Beans, Olives and Mint Leaves
Caramelized pumpkin wedges with hazelnuts and sage
Caramelized pumpkin wedges with hazelnuts and sage
Baked eggplant with tahini cream and chia and sesame seeds
Baked eggplant with tahini cream and chia and sesame seeds
Asparagus salad with quinoa mix and soy beans Edamame
Asparagus salad with quinoa mix and soy beans Edamame
Halloween Hokkaido filled with beluga lentils and smoked tofu
Halloween Hokkaido filled with beluga lentils and smoked tofu
HAND IN HAND

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