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Quinoa as a Crop for Marginal Soils: Potential and Challenges in Central Asia

02.06.2026
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Experimental quinoa field at Hohenheim University. Photo: IGZ / Damir Esenaliev.
Experimental quinoa field at Hohenheim University. Photo: IGZ / Damir Esenaliev.

A new review published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture by researchers from University of Hohenheim (UHOH), the Leibniz Institute for Horticultural Sciences (IGZ, formerly Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops) and Uzbek partners examines whether quinoa can contribute to sustainable agriculture in marginal environments – lands where traditional crops struggle due to drought, salinity or extreme temperatures. The study, led by Sandra Schmöckel, Tabea Mengen at UHOH, and co-authored by IGZ researcher Damir Esenaliev, and partners in Uzbekistan, focuses on Central Asia and the Aral Sea Basin as a case study, and critically assesses environmental, economic and social dimensions. The underlying project was funded by Governments of Germany and Uzbekistan.

Marginal lands make up around 21% of the world's total land area and are home to approximately 1.75 billion people, most of them in developing countries. In Uzbekistan alone, the share of heavily salinised irrigated farmland rose from 38% to 58% between 1990 and 2018, forcing many farmers off the land. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is an Andean grain crop with well-documented tolerance to drought, salt and temperature extremes. First introduced to Central Asia in 2015, it has since been tested in field trials across Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia, yielding between 0.6 and 3.8 tonnes per hectare under varying marginal conditions.

The review finds that quinoa's broad genetic diversity - with over 16,000 accessions conserved in gene banks - provides a strong basis for breeding varieties suited to local harsh conditions. As one of very few halophytic crops, quinoa can rehabilitate salt-damaged soils while simultaneously contributing to food production. However, the authors caution that environmental resilience alone is not sufficient. Economic viability depends heavily on market access and output prices, while social factors – particularly land tenure insecurity and limited farmer autonomy in countries such as Uzbekistan – constrain the adoption of new crops.

The review concludes that realising quinoa's potential in marginal environments requires coordinated action across plant breeding, value chain development and policy reform simultaneously. These may include policy frameworks to allow crop diversification, investments in plant breeding and extension services, improvements in processing and retail infrastructure, and efforts to raise public awareness of quinoa as a nutritious food option.

Original Publication
Mengen, A.T., Esenaliev, D., Babadjanov, J., John, L., Schmöckel, S.M. & Khaitov, B. "Is quinoa-farming sustainable in marginal environments? Social, economical and environmental aspects." Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2026). https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.70657

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