Personal Background and Refugee Experience

• Speaker experienced Rwanda genocide at age 7, fled to Tanzania refugee camp 23 years ago
• Life in refugee camp was survival, not living
  • Deaths from disease, poor sanitation, hunger
  • Food became rare commodity
  • Family survived on forest leaves and grasses during bad days
  • Went 2-3 days without food, only drinking swamp water during worst times
• After 3 years in refugee camp, returned to Rwanda
• Continued food struggles despite farming being only reliable food source
• Lacked nutritional diversity, depended on UN World Food Program assistance

Rwanda's Agricultural Context

• 70% of Rwandans work in agriculture sector
• Malnutrition and stunting remain rampant
• Food insecurity not from insufficient farming but wrong crop choices
• Rwanda is #1 beans-consuming country per capita globally
• Beans kept many alive during hunger/starvation periods
  • Can eat beans at every growth stage (leaves, green beans before harvest)
  • Cannot cultivate beans in same field season after season
  • Requires regular rotation to avoid disease and pests

Quinoa as Solution

• Discovered quinoa as solution while in US graduate school
• Indigenous to Andean regions of South America (Bolivia, Peru)
• Powerhouse nutrient profile
  • Contains all 9 essential amino acids (complete protein)
  • Far more micronutrients than beans
  • Can make more diverse food products and drinks than beans
• Like beans, farmers can eat nutritious quinoa leaves
• Not widely cultivated globally

Research and Implementation (2015)

• Introduced quinoa to Rwanda for first time with Washington State University research team
• Tested 20 quinoa varieties across 3 ecological zones in Rwanda
• Results: 15 of 20 varieties showed potential to grow well in Rwanda's climate

Quinoa Model Farmers Program

• Started with 12 farmers, expanded to ~500 farmers over 3 years
• Speaker's mother known as "queen of quinoa" for helping other farmers adopt crop
• Program provides:
  • Seeds distribution
  • Training on growing techniques
  • Cooking instruction
• Farmers created own recipes
• Success stories: many farmers now have access to nutritious food 3x daily

Broader Impact and Expansion

• Quinoa positioned as supplement, not replacement for other crops
• Goal: create overall health/nutrition, combat chronic malnutrition
• Model replicable in other countries experiencing hunger/malnutrition
• 1 in 9 people globally suffer from chronic malnutrition
• Research collaboration started with Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and other affected countries

Other "Magic Crops"

• Quinoa not only solution - other high-adaptability, nutritious crops exist
• Examples: millet, sorghum, fonio, barley, oat
• These crops have high climate change adaptability
• Can bridge nutritional gaps globally for accessible nutritious food

Vision and Call to Action

• Crops with high biodiversity, adaptability, nutritional value crucial for:
  • Food security
  • Seed sovereignty
  • Sustainable production
• Nutritious food should not be luxury
• Need for accessible, affordable nutritious food for everyone