Los abuelos sembraban quinua donde no salía el maíz. Desavenencias sobre la crianza de la quinua durante un programa de desarrollo rural en la Quebrada de Humahuaca.

DESAVENENCIAS SOBRE LA CRIANZA DE LA QUINUA DURANTE UN PROGRAMA DE DESARROLLO RURAL EN LA QUEBRADA DE HUMAHUACA

Abstract

This paper studies the actions of an institutional programme to promote quinoa production in the Andean regions of Puna and Quebrada in the province of Jujuy (Argentina). Starting from the premise that the crop was practically extinct in this region, the institutional actions established normative criteria such as the identification of the correct agronomic techniques for its cultivation, the successful transfer of these practices among local quinoa producers, and the obtaining of a commercially marketable volume of grain. Although these premises were not achieved, in the course of the work experience the producers' previous familiarity with the crop became relevant, involving among other things well-established traditional techniques for its sowing, according to which quinoa was sown alongside another main crop, as well as a series of practices to discourage its excessive fertility and invasive impetus, thus reinforcing its characterisation as more similar to a weed than to other crops. These same conceptions - which make sense at the ritual level where quinoa assumes liminal functions - are what, to a large extent, shape and give meaning to the cultural practices applied in quinoa production during the technological programme.