2008
The quinoa project begins
Jiaqi starts the long-term work of introducing, understanding and industrializing quinoa in China.
WHY JIAQI BEGAN
In 2008, China did not yet have a quinoa industry. The foundations had to be built.
Introducing a crop was only the beginning. Germplasm had to be collected and conserved. Varieties had to be created for diverse environments. Agronomy, mechanization, processing, foods and public understanding all had to grow together.
Jiaqi chose to work across this entire chain—not because every link was a business opportunity, but because every link was necessary for quinoa to take root.
Jiaqi’s seventeen-year journey is the story of how quinoa was collected, understood, improved and brought into an emerging industry in China.
From zero to a systemField by field, season by season, a new crop became a growing knowledge and industry platform.
THE JIAQI JOURNEY
One crop. Many unanswered questions. Seventeen years of work.
The journey was not linear. Collection, research, breeding, farming and markets advanced together, each strengthening the next.
FOUNDATION
Global diversity is gathered
Landraces from around the world, breeder materials and innovative mutant populations are collected and conserved.
BREEDING
New variation is created
Manual crossing and pedigree selection expand alongside EMS, physical and space-induced mutation breeding.
ACROSS CHINA
Adaptation is tested
Multi-environment trials connect genetics with the realities of diverse farms and production systems.
1,300
Phenotypes become knowledge
A collaboration with KAUST studies extensive phenotypic diversity across 1,300 quinoa resources.
2,260
Genomes reveal diversity
Large-scale resequencing helps connect genetic variation with traits and future breeding opportunity.
INDUSTRY
From fields to food
Agronomy, machinery, processing and food innovation turn scientific progress into practical value.
TODAY
A platform for the future
Jiaqi opens its experience, resources and capabilities to deeper scientific and industrial collaboration.
ONE INTEGRATED INNOVATION CHAIN
From genetic diversity to future food.
Six connected platforms transform biological diversity into knowledge, varieties, production systems, foods and global impact.
01 · CONSERVE
Germplasm
Global landraces, breeder materials and innovative mutant resources.
Explore Germplasm →
02 · UNDERSTAND
Phenotyping & Genomics
Connecting visible traits with the genetic architecture of diversity.
Explore Genomics →
03 · CREATE
Precision Breeding
Crossing, selection and multiple mutation pathways create new variation.
Explore Breeding →
04 · ADAPT
Farming
Testing varieties and production systems across diverse environments.
Explore Farming →
05 · TRANSFORM
Food Innovation
Turning quinoa nutrition into staple foods and practical applications.
Explore Food →
06 · SHARE
Global Impact
Research, education and partnership across countries and communities.
Explore Impact →EVIDENCE BEHIND THE VISION
A platform built from real materials, real methods and real fields.
100,000+
A living quinoa resource foundation
Original global germplasm, breeder-developed materials, EMS mutants and resources created through physical and space breeding.
Multiple
Breeding pathways
Hybridization, pedigree selection and induced variation work together.
2,260
Resources resequenced
Genomic insight supports diversity discovery and future precision breeding.
THE JIAQI TEAM
A journey written by people and seasons.
Every conserved accession, every cross, every field trial and every food prototype carries the work of researchers, technicians, farmers, students and partners.
These photographs are not decoration. They are a record of how knowledge was built and shared across laboratories, fields, classrooms and countries.
Meet the Wider Community →
EXPLORE THE WORK
Go deeper into the science and industry.
GERMPLASM · RESEARCH
Why diversity is the beginning of every future variety
Explore how collection, conservation and evaluation create the foundation for breeding.
BREEDING · FIELD NOTES
Creating variation, then selecting with purpose
See how conventional breeding and mutation approaches expand future possibility.
FARMING · INDUSTRY
Innovation only matters when it works in the field
From variety adaptation to mechanized production, follow quinoa into real agriculture.