Indira Huacjima

Peruvian indigenous leader advancing women's rights through ancestral knowledge

Indira Huacjima (b. 1972) is a Quechua leader from Peru who bridges traditional Andean wisdom with modern advocacy. As founder of Kawsay Pacha Foundation, she developed women's cooperatives preserving native seeds and medicinal plants. Her 1998 initiative 'Women's Seed Bank' safeguards over 300 native varieties threatened by industrial agriculture. Huacjima's 2005 UN speech emphasized indigenous women's roles in climate resilience, leading to UNESCO's 2012 Intangible Cultural Heritage designation for Andean agricultural practices. She pioneered mobile schools teaching ancestral farming techniques to 15,000+ youth since 2000. Her work inspired the 2016 Peruvian Law 30409 protecting indigenous seed sovereignty.