Manuela Sabina Medina

Colombian agricultural innovator who transformed Andean farming practices

Manuela Sabina Medina (1857–1923) pioneered sustainable agriculture in Colombia's Andes mountains. She developed frost-resistant potato varieties and terracing techniques that doubled crop yields. Her innovative irrigation systems remain in use today. Medina trained over 1,200 farmers through mobile workshops, creating a cooperative network that resisted corporate land grabs. Her 1898 book 《Siembra con Corazón》 became a foundational text for agroecology. Despite her contributions, her work was suppressed during the Thousand Days' War (1899–1902), making her legacy only recently recognized.