Quinoa should be taking over the world. This is why it isn’t

Re:Quinoa should be taking over the world. This is why it isn’t by sambe on Friday July 12, 2013 @02:54AM (#6031284)

From reading the grandparent:

"subsistence farmers are net consumers of their staple crop. In order to survive, the poor diversify across a variety of agricultural products"

I don't understand the downvotes for the parent. They are growing other products, or have cash from other activities, and use this to buy the staple they can't grow. If price of staple rises and price of other products and services does not, they can't afford to do this. The beneficiaries are large industrial farmers of the staple. Did I miss something?

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Re:Quinoa should be taking over the world. This is why it isn’t by nknighthb on Friday July 12, 2013 @04:33AM (#6031589)

The part where even if that is true, there are other, cheaper staples. This should be a classic self-correcting problem. The world as a whole has gotten by on staples other than quinoa. Now that the market price of this particular local staple has skyrocketed, it can be sold in exchange for greater quantities of less-expensive staples used elsewhere.

If there is in fact a problem (and I do question its existence), I believe lukasb is looking for it in the wrong place.

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Re:Quinoa should be taking over the world. This is why it isn’t by lukasb on Friday July 12, 2013 @12:10PM (#6033343)

They don't have access to other, cheaper staples. These are geographically isolated farmers in countries with poor infrastructure.

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Re:Quinoa should be taking over the world. This is why it isn’t by nknighthb on Friday July 12, 2013 @03:37PM (#6034680)

If the quinoa can get out, other things can get in.

[ Parent | on HN ]