At Imlak’esh Organics, it’s our mission to give back to Mother Earth and help her thrive. We make decisions every day to support the Earth: from our ethical sourcing practices to our support of indigenous farmers to our reusable glass packaging. Today, in honor of Drinking Water Awareness Week, we’d like to shine a light on how one of our superfoods saves thousands of gallons of water.

Measuring the Impact of Sacha Inchi

Sacha Inchi seeds are a water-wise, nutrition-smart choice of protein. Sacha Inchi thrives in the pristine rainforest region, where it is completely rainwater fed. Because there is an abundance of rainfall, farmers don’t need to create an irrigation system that draws from local rivers and other sources of drinking water. Thus, producing one pound of Sacha Inchi takes very little water.

Sacha Inchi is a nutritionally valuable food. It is a complete protein, with all 8 essential amino acids the human body cannot produce. One pound of these superfood seeds offer more protein than almonds and even beef! It also offers an excellent source plant-based Omega 3s to nourish your brain and your body.

Measuring the Impact of Beef

In contrast, the USDA estimates that it takes 1,847 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. This water may be sourced from major waterways such as rivers and ground reserves, which lowers the available water for that local watershed.

Measuring the Impact of Almonds

Almonds present another eye-opening comparison. Approximately 1,929 gallons of water are used to produce 1 pound of almonds. All US grown almonds are produced in California, where the 5-year drought has severely impacted the land. Yet this industry utilizes 9.5% of the state’s agricultural water usage.

In this instance, Sacha Inchi is the water-wise choice. This superfood seed offers more complete protein per pound than beef and almonds, and at a fraction of the water usage.