Sustainable Intensification of Quinoa Crops in the Altiplano: A Permaculture-Interdisciplinary Approach

Abstract

Gihan Soliman*, Sonia Davila Ramos, Ramon Alberto Batista Garcia, David W. Minter, Daniel Guzman Duchen, Rolando Oros, Gladys Poma Vargas, Marlene Anguola, Leticia Jimena Alcocer Aguila, Bilma Rios Caero, Ruana Zogui Iriarte Huasco, Juan Vallyos Arvez, Pablo Mamani Rojas, Alejandra Mendez Tejada, Jimmy Casto Ciancas Jimenez and Adriana Otero Blanca

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is a nutritionally complete and culturally significant crop of the Bolivian Altiplano, yet its productivity is increasingly threatened by drought, soil degradation, and the erosion of traditional agroecosystem management. We evaluated a low-carbon plant probiotic system—SCOBY++ (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts enriched with Moringa oleifera leaf powder)—designed for local production and integration into permaculture- based farming. Six SCOBY++ variants, differing in hydration state, salinity pre-treatment, and application format, were tested in a randomized greenhouse trial using extreme-site Altiplano soil under regular irrigation and drought stress. All SCOBY++ treatments improved seedling emergence, survival, and height relative to the control. The salt- washed pellicle with moringa (T2) produced the strongest effects, nearly doubling emergence, tripling survival under drought, and increasing plant height more than twofold. Treatment effects were consistent across irrigation regimes, and life-cycle analysis indicated a greenhouse-gas footprint over 95% lower than conventional cellulose carriers. These findings demonstrate that SCOBY++ can enhance quinoa resilience in one of the world’s most challenging agricultural environments, offering a scalable, culturally compatible, and ecologically regenerative strategy for food security and climate adaptation in high-altitude agroecosystems.

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