Gloria Canchumani

Peruvian indigenous rights leader who modernized Andean agricultural practices

Gloria Canchumani (b. 1978) is a Quechua agricultural innovator who revitalized traditional Andean farming through her Andean Sustainable Harvest Initiative. Starting in the early 2000s, she combined ancestral farming techniques with modern agroecology to create drought-resistant potato varieties that increased yields by 400% in Peru's highlands. Her community seed banks now store over 800 native crop varieties, preserving biodiversity while improving food security for 120,000 families.

Canchumani's 2010 UN FAO report demonstrated how her terracing methods reduced soil erosion by 70%, prompting the Peruvian government to adopt her practices nationwide. Her most impactful project, the 2016 Aymara Tech Hub, trained 5,000 indigenous farmers in drone-assisted irrigation and blockchain-based supply chains. This enabled fair-trade networks that now export 20% of Peru's organic quinoa. Her work is celebrated in the Latin America Sustainability Forum's 2023 Impact Awards.