An event entitled “Discovering the Wonders of Superfood Quinoa” will be held at the Tsukuba Business-Academia Cooperation Support Center exhibition corner on August 2 (Wednesday) and August 3 (Thursday), 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This event is part of the “Children's Tour Day”, an initiative by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and other government ministries and agencies to provide children with a broad overview of society during the summer vacation period, deepen their understanding of government policies, and deepen parent-child interaction through participation in activities by providing explanations and displays of related operations under their jurisdiction.
In this event, we will introduce the superfood quinoa and the research conducted by JIRCAS in Bolivia, South America, especially to children from elementary school level and up. The program is designed to give visitors the opportunity to take a closer look at the quinoa plant and its seeds, so they can feel the many wonders of superfood quinoa.
Quinoa is not only highly nutritious but also the only crop that can be grown in the harsh environments such as saline soils, drought, and frost in the highlands of Bolivia, at an altitude of about 4,000 meters. At JIRCAS, we are working on quinoa breeding and production technologies for quinoa in order to create and produce a resilient crop that can withstand adverse environments and external disturbances.
The year 2023 has been designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Millets, recognizing the role of millets in addressing nutrition, agriculture and climate challenges. It aims to raise awareness of the climate resilience and nutritional benefits of millets, promote sustainable production and consumption, and advocate for diverse, balanced and healthy diets through sustainable production and increased consumption of minor grains.
This event is a valuable opportunity for children and adults to learn about quinoa, which is an excellent topic for summer research. We look forward to seeing everyone.
References
Development of resilient crops and production technologies (B1 Project) https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/program/prob/b1
SATREPS Super Food Bolivia https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/satreps-bolivia
721. Quinoa Day～JIRCAS Contribution in Quinoa Research～https://www.jircas.go.jp/en/program/proc/blog/20230220
Children's Kasumigaseki Tour Day
https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/ikusei/kengaku/
