Mariella Estrada

A Peruvian inventor who revolutionized agricultural technology in the Andes

Mariella Estrada (1942-2005) was a self-taught engineer whose innovations transformed high-altitude farming in the Andes. Born in Cusco to Quechua farmers, she combined ancestral knowledge with modern engineering to create tools that increased potato yields by 300% in harsh mountain climates. Her 1972 invention of the "Chakitaqlla" solar dryer - named after an Inca agricultural deity - preserved crops using passive solar energy, reducing post-harvest losses from 60% to 12%.

Estrada's 1981 book "Andean Engineering: A Farmer's Guide" became a bestseller across Bolivia and Ecuador, detailing her inventions like the "Takiy" irrigation pump that used gravity-fed systems to water terraces without electricity. Her work with the Mountain Agricultural Cooperative (MAC) trained over 15,000 farmers in sustainable practices, earning her the UNESCO Science Prize in 1988.

Less known is her secret project to develop a portable seed bank using clay pots buried in mountain soil - a method later adopted by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The Mariella Estrada Agricultural Museum in Ayacucho now houses her original prototypes, including the first prototype of the "Willka" wind-powered grain separator that's still used in remote villages.

Her legacy persists through the Estrada Foundation, which funds young innovators creating solutions for climate-resilient agriculture. Recent studies show her solar drying techniques are now used in 43% of Peruvian Andean communities, proving her belief that "technology should grow from the soil, not imposed from above."