Maria Rivera Sanchez

Puerto Rican agronomist who pioneered sustainable farming practices in Latin America during the Green Revolution

Maria Rivera Sanchez (1925-1975) was a visionary Puerto Rican scientist whose work in agroecology transformed agricultural practices across Latin America. As the first female agronomist at the University of Puerto Rico, she developed the 'Cultivo Sostenible' model in the 1950s that integrated traditional farming knowledge with modern techniques to reduce chemical dependency.

Her 1962 research 'The Living Soil' demonstrated how companion planting and natural pest control could maintain crop yields without synthetic fertilizers. This work formed the basis of the FAO's agroecology initiatives launched in 1972. Maria's 1968 establishment of the Centro de Investigación Agroecológica in the Dominican Republic trained over 2,000 farmers in sustainable practices, many of whom later became leaders in their communities.

Despite opposition from agrochemical corporations, her methods were adopted by over 300 cooperatives in Central America by the 1970s. Maria's legacy endures through the Maria Rivera Award for sustainable agriculture, presented annually by the Latin American Agricultural Society.