How the exploding popularity of quinoa is both good and bad for Andean farmers
How the exploding popularity of quinoa is both good and bad for Andean farmers - Quinoa Exporter
The shoppers and vendors in the Surco Market of Lima, Peru don't need to be told of the benefits of quinoa. Many of their ancestors have cultivated the grain for thousands of years.
The United Nations officially declared 2013 the International Year of the Quinoa in honour of its exceptional nutritional qualities. Almost 90 percent of the world's quinoa is produced in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.
And now the grain has become very popular on northern menus... however, as we heard at the market, the rising demand is making the grain less affordable for some of the Andean people who rely on it.
While the seriousness of this change is a subject of intense debate, it's clear prices are going up and there are concerns about sustainability. Paola Mejia is the manager of the Bolivian Chamber of Royal Quinoa and Organic Product Exporters and she was in La Paz.
How the exploding popularity of quinoa is both good and bad for Andean farmers - Andean Information Network
North America and Europe's love affair with quinoa has propelled the once niche grain into the mainstream. The ancient grain is a particular favourite of vegetarians and vegans.
Kevin Cardenas is the chef at the Urban Herbivore in Kensington Market in Toronto. We heard from him.
Our next guest says the boom in quinoa has been nothing but beneficial to Andean farmers. Kathryn Ledebur is the director of Andean Information Network, an NGO that promotes human rights and socioeconomic justice in Bolivia and she was in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Letters: State of Care Documentary
This country's history with residential schools is familiar to Canadians, but earlier this week on The Current, we heard about a lesser known institution that is equally contentious.
For forty years in Canada - up until 1976 - so-called "indian hospitals" offered racially segregated care for Aboriginal people. In many cases, the hospitals forced lengthy separations between family members, and had lower standards of care.
Maureen Lux is an historian at Brock University who is researching a book on Indian hospitals in Canada. She described one treatment for tuberculosis.
Carol Furman heard our documentary, and she shared her thoughts from Rush Lake, Saskatchewan:
I worked in the Charles Camsell Hospital as an RN in the late sixties on an active treatment pediatric ward. The medical and nursing staff were not of a lower quality. Most cared deeply for the children and tried to make their time as easy as possible.
However, I was uncomfortable with the poor quality of education offered to the children ... and the very liberal placing of children in adoptive homes.
Our patients came from all over the far north, in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Medical ships that went north in the summer, sent patients from Inuit communities back to the Camsell. I still remember many of the kids' names and faces - and the things I learned about their culture and their lives.
We aired some more memories from our voicemail.
And Pixie Marriott of Summerland, BC writes:
In early 1950's, I worked at a TB hospital in Surrey, England. The majority of patients were vets from World War 2. All the surgery was done under local anesthetics. This included lung lobectomy and pneumothorax - both requiring removal of ribs.
Our job was to sit by the patient and hold his hand.
To add to anything you hear on The Current, email us from our website. Or tweet us @thecurrentcbc. And if you missed our documentary State of Care, you can listen on our website. You can also download the podcast from our website.
This segment was produced by The Current's Lara O'Brien and Patricia Brotzel.
Other segments from today's show: