Uyuni, March 12, 2021 (PROINPA Foundation), 39 people, including women and men, representatives of the Antonio Quijarro Provincial Delegation of the Autonomous Departmental Government of Potosí, of the Directorate of Productive Development of the Autonomous Municipal Government of Uyuni, Real Andina (company processor and marketer of quinoa), the Mother Juana Azurduy de Padilla Club of the Chita community, ALMIR Farming, Channel 13 Uyuni Television, original authorities of the Ayllus Aransaya and Urinsaya (Curacas, Jilacatas, Bartolinas, etc.) and farmers producing quinoa from the communities of Chacala and Chita, Municipality of Uyuni in the department of Potosí, concentrated in the community of Chacala, where they participated in a Demonstrative Field Day on Pest management and efficient use of bio-inputs for the ecological production of quinoa, organized by technicians from the Foundation for the Promotion and Research of Andean Products (PROINPA), within the framework of the project "Strengthening and promotion of the efficient use of bio-inputs for pest management and crop nutrition in the Bolivian altiplano", financed by the Swiss and Swedish Cooperation, executed by Swisscontac in alliance with the PROINPA Foundation.
The Field Day began at 9:30 am, Mr. Wenseslao Layme, cantonal agent of the Chalaca community, welcomed all the participants, followed by Eng. Fredy Colque, Director of Productive Development of GAM Uyuni , opened the event by stating the following: “We are pleased that this type of research is carried out by the PROINPA Foundation in our municipality to improve quinoa production, only in this way will we improve, that is the purpose and we who are present must assimilate the knowledge and apply it. We will see what jobs are presented to us and we must transmit to the different communities of our municipality”.
José Olivera, PROINPA technician, explained in the demonstration plot about the organic quinoa production strategy with bio-inputs, described the products that can be used from sowing to harvest, for example TRICOBAL and its role in promoting plant growth , thickening of stems and control of soil diseases, VIGORTOP for the growth and development of plants, and for the control of pests such as "ticona" and "moth" the use of traps with Pheromone and BIOMAX.
Wilfredo Belén, owner of the ALMIR farm in Uyuni, recommended that producers use bio-inputs according to the procedure indicated in the organic production strategy for quinoa and put aside chemical products, as well as how and where to access them. the bioinputs.
Grover Sánchez, a farmer from the Chacala community, shared with the event participants his experience on the use of bio-inputs in his quinoa plot, “use the TRICOBAL powder and you have to divide according to the measure for one hectare, to know how much to put in I always consult Engineer Genaro Aroni (PROINPA) and for each plot you have to measure with the measure in ml, then I have planted two times, because the rain has soaked it and nothing has come out the first time. Two years that I have been giving quinoa with these TRICOBAL plus VIGORTOP products, in the first experience I have collected 15 bags of quinoa, now I think there will be more bags” he concluded happily.
Likewise, in Grover's quinoa demonstration plot, a demonstration was carried out with the Fumigator DRON, “a team that sprays so that farmers are no longer contaminated with pesticides, the DRON sprays and optimizes working time” He maintained: Franz Callisaya, technician of the air team. The DRON is programmed by GPS, has a 10-liter tank, and was undoubtedly the center of attention of the Field Day participants.
To continue discovering more technological innovations, implemented by the farmers, the attendees moved to another demonstration plot, to learn about the experience shared by an innovative farmer Teodosia Vázquez, also from the Chacala community, who proudly stated, "I sowed this plot with a tractor in October and the wind buried everything and my daughter-in-law who is from Llica (D. Campos, Potosí) told me, we will sow again with water, we sowed with taquiza, we have dug little holes, use two liters of water per coya until it disappears, but this time I have mixed the quinoa seed with TRICOBAL a day before and I have planted that quinoa and we left it like that, we came at the end of December and all the quinoa seedlings came out and I have fumigated with VIGORTOP and BIOMAX have been like this until now, that experience I would tell you".
Milton Villca, a PROINPA technician, emphasized that Doña Teodosia “She is a research farmer, what she has used on this plot is TRICOBAL plus VIGORTOP to plant quinoa and BIOMAX to control pests (ticona and moth), it is hard to do this job, but it yields good results".
All this experience was listened to with great attention by the participants, who congratulated Doña Teodosia for her tireless work, “keep going as a quinoa producer” was the voice of all who visited his farm.
The Field Day was closed by Mr. Moisés Mamani, Corregidor of the Chita community, at hours. 12:30 pm, who thanked the participants and emphasized "that what was observed in the event allowed everyone to learn something more about the organic production of quinoa”. Before leaving, the original authorities congratulated the work of PROINPA, which is at the service of farmers in the cultivation of quinoa.
The participants said goodbye to return to their communities very happy, taking communication materials such as: technical sheets and calendars on bio-inputs that PROINPA provided them.
Melinda Belén, a technician from the Real Andina company highlighted: “What can be highlighted in today's visit are the organic products that are being used and the spraying by DRON, an innovation that should be used as a service for the benefit of producers due to cost issues.”.
Moisés Mamani, Corregidor of the Chita community, “We have learned a lot in this Field Day, with these natural products that PROINPA has shown us, if we can make our quinoa plots grow”.
Margarita Flores, Executive of Las Bartolinas, Sud Lipes province, highlighted “Seeing these teachings we have seen that it is much better, I will always highlight Sister Teodosia who has worked, she has not wanted to win and we want that, being a woman she has succeeded, although this year has not been good but she has done something, now All the brothers and sisters, I ask you if projects come to us, we must not miss out, we will not neglect ourselves, we will organize ourselves, I thank the people who have come to listen to this Field Day and I congratulate them for teaching”.
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