Soil

Soil is not just dirt! Soil holds our words food security in its hand, as it is a unique ecosystem that is an essential resource for the production and growth of plants and crops. Good soil management is crucial for sustainable and efficient crop production by at the same time enhancing the biodiversity.

Quinoa is mainly grown in the highlands of the Altiplano region, which is a dry and cold region with the least fertile soil and the least rain. (Agriculturist, n.d )The soil types found in this region ranges from shallow stony sandy loams to deeper gay reddish brown clay (FAO, n.d )with a organic matter content of less than 1 %. The small amount of organic matter is mainly due to the decrease of livestock farming in the region which at the same time means that less manure is applied to the area. The surface soil texture is mainly sandy loam or loam, which makes it subsceptible to wind erosion.  The B Horizon which is the subsoil, is made out of sandy clay or loam. (Dregne, 1976 )

In the highlands, where Quinoa is mainly grown, the soil pH amounts 5,5 with the following nutrient make up:  P:7, Ca: 09, Mg: 1,0, K:0,2 (Vera, 2006)

 The best soil texture for Quinoa is easy worked, semi- deep soil with a good drainage and an adequate supply of nutrients. Therefore Quinoa thrives well in acid soils with a pH of 4,5 or in alkaline soils with a pH up to 9,5, depending on the ecotype. The most suitable soil for Quinoa is sandy loam but acceptable production can also take place in sandy or clayed soils. (FAO, Quinoa (Chenopodium quince) , n.d )

Due to the decrease of natural fertilizer which is because of the replacement of alpaca, illama and sheep with the increased production of quinoa, other sources of fertilizer need to be applied to the soil. Quinoa responds well to nitrogen fertilizer, where 120 kg of nitrogen, 50 kg of phosphorus and 50 kg of potassium are applied to 1 hectare of land. Besides that, it is also recommend to enrich soil with organic matter during land preparation with rotten farm yard manure. (AgriFarming, n.d ) Another reason for the organic matter loss in the quinoa growing regions is due to the increased production of Quinoa in monocultures and the reduction of traditional farming systems. (Cardenas)

The export oriented Quinoa production is contributing significantly to soil erosion as more land is used for quinoa production, spreading into wild areas where local communities traditionally farm livestock. Expanded agricultural production areas also lead to a lack of vegetative cover which speeds up the process of soil erosion by reducing wind breaks which are from high importance when it comes to protecting the crops from wind. 

Soil Erosion in Bolivia´s Quinoa Fields 

Besides the reduction of the application of animal manure and the destruction of vegetative cover, the increased use of tractor has degraded soil fertility. These issue show that there is a need of action for introducing different agricultural methods that will increase the soil organic matter content and therefore enable the farmer to continue the production while at the same time protecting the environment. (Google, n.d )

Agricultural methods would need to be focused on the approach of increasing the quality of the soil in areas where quinoa is already grown rather than expanding the production further into wild areas. Examples of approaches which can be taken to increase the quality of the soil would be crop rotation or polycropping or the reforestation with thola to protect and recover degraded soil. The thola is a shrub which is naturally found in the Andean region and which can be used efficiently to build windbreaks. (Drynet, 2015)

References

Agriculturist, N. (n.d ). Country profile- Bolivia . Date accessed: December 2016 from  New Agriculturist : http://www.new-ag.info/en/country/profile.php?a=3155

AgriFarming. (n.d ). Quinoa Farming Information Guide . Date accessed:  December 2016 from http://www.agrifarming.in/quinoa-farming-information-guide/

Cardenas, D. M. (kein Datum). Bolivia- Bolivian Highlands (Altiplano) . Date accessed:December 2016 from  Case study: Bolivian Highlands : http://www.unesco.org/science/doc/mab/Bolivia.pdf

Dregne, H. (1976 ). Soil of arif regions . Date accessed: December 2016 from Development in soil science 6 : https://books.google.nl/books?id=pgregnOa4S8C&printsec=frontcover&hl=de&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Drynet. (15 . october 2015). Native windbreaks in the bolivian altiplano control of desertification caused by Quinoa . Date accessed:  December 2016 from drynet : http://dry-net.org/initiatives/native-windbreaks-in-the-bolivian-altiplano-control-of-desertification-caused-by-quinoa/

FAO. (n.d ). Quinoa (Chenopodium quince) . Date accessed:  December 2016 from FAO : http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0646e/t0646e0f.htm

FAO. (n.d ). Report on the soils in Bolivia . Date accessed:  December 2016 from World soil resource office : http://www.fao.org/3/a-15622e.pdf

Google, S. (n.d ). Quinoa Production in Bolivia . FromAnalysis: Environmental : https://sites.google.com/a/cornell.edu/quinoa-production-in-bolivia/analysis abgerufen

Vera, D. R. (May 2006). Country pasture / Forage Resource Profiles: soils and Topography Bolivia . Date accessed:  December 2016 from FAO : http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc/Counprof/Bolivia/Bolivia.htm#2