Maria Scurrah

Maria Scurrah, from Huancayo, Peru obtained a Ph.D in Plant Breeding from Cornell University, in 1972, and worked for nearly 20 years on breeding resistance to Potato Cyst Nematode and insects at the International Potato Center (CIP). From 1990-1998 she worked at the South Australian Research and Development Institute where she continued working on nematode control through breeding in oats, and fava beans. In 1998, she returned to Peru and joined Grupo Yanapai, a not for profit which focuses on participative action research with Andean Highland farming families. Yanapai aims to integrate agriculture and nutrition through participative selection of higher nutrient dense crops and climate resilience varieties as well as foster sustainability through agrobiodiversity.