Up in the Altiplan at 4000 meters there is not much in the way of natural fuel. This is because there are relatively few trees. The only sources of fuel are little gas cylinders. However, if you are a farmer that practices mixed agriculture then a free source of fuel is collecting dry cow dung of the fields and burning that. This is exactly what the farmers do to heat their stoves for cooking! Here is a video inside Gladys' kitchen showing us exactly that.      Your browser does not support our video.

Above is an image of a ‘ventiladore’- literally wind machines- that get rid of dust and will also allow to select for size of grain. The smallest ones can then be kept back for animals or personal consumption, whereas regular sized and up can be sold to the coop for processing.  The first step is to harvest the Quinoa plants with a sickle, then dry them out on its stem. Once the crop has been hand harvested and threshed, they can put through this machine to find the right sized quinoa for selling.  Previously, this job had to be done by hand and...

Did you know that one of the many incredible benefits of lentils is their ability to fix nitrogen in soil?

Overall, quinoa generally has lower carbon emissions compared to traditional rice cultivation, primarily due to the differences in cultivation methods and resource requirements.