The year 2013 is of particular importance: it is the year we celebrate the International Year of Quinoa (IYQ), and we formally begin to prepare for the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) in 2014. Quinoa and Family Farming go hand in hand: both can contribute substantially toward the fight against hunger. However, to tap their enormous potential,investments must be made. The FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean serves as Technical Secretariat of the IYQ 2013. The official world launching of the IYQ- 2013 took place February 20 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York with the participation of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, which presides over the IYQ-2013 Coordinating Committee. Several issues were addressed at the event in relation to the contribution of quinoa to food security, nutrition, poverty eradication and biodiversity, and this crop’s adaptability to climate change. Also discussed was the contribution of indigenous peoples and their ancestral knowledge in quinoa production and preservation for more than 7.000 years.