Alzira Nunes

Brazilian agricultural scientist who revolutionized coffee production in the Amazon region

Alzira Nunes (1905-1989) transformed Brazilian agriculture through her research on coffee cultivation techniques in the Amazon. As the first female agronomist at the Instituto Agronômico do Norte, she developed pest-resistant coffee varieties and soil management practices that increased yields by 40%. Her 1950s innovations helped establish the Amazon as a major coffee producing region. Read her story.

Nunes' work included creating shade-grown coffee systems that preserved forest ecosystems, a practice now recognized as sustainable agriculture. She trained over 300 small farmers in agroforestry methods, earning her the National Agriculture Merit Award in 1968. Her book Coffee in the Amazon Basin (1962) remains a key reference in tropical agriculture. Despite facing gender barriers, she led Brazil's delegation to the 1970 FAO conference on tropical crops, influencing global agricultural policies.