The Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGDC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with Oxfam Italia, has organised an event featuring Andean grain. The event, which took place on Monday 7 September, was part of the EXPO Milan and European Year for Development programmes. It focused on international development initiatives and the possible risks and opportunities arising from the growing demand for grain from the Andes regions, for example quinoa.
Andean grains and food security for millions of people in Latin America
With their high nutritional value and the development of the entire production chain, these grains can play a positive role in the food security of millions of people in Latin America, especially in Mexico and the Andean countries.
The event was presented by Cristiano Maggipinto, head of Office 9 at the DGDC and coordinator of Italian Development Cooperation initiatives at the EXPO. Speakers included Clarems Endara Vera, deputy minister for foreign trade and integration at the Bolivian Foreign Ministry.
Francesco Torrigiani, from Oxfam Italia, moderated the debate. Participants included Felice Longobardi, director of Italian Development Cooperation’s regional office in La Paz, and Edgar Marcial Soliz, Executive Director General of the International Quinoa Centre.
Other speakers included United Nations officials, sector experts, and representatives of NGOs and the academic community
