Mariaelena Huambachano

Dr. Huambachano is a native Peruvian Indigenous scholar with strong cultural and professional connections to Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as North America. Currently, she serves as an Associate Professor in Environmental Humanities and Indigenous Studies at Syracuse University. Her research, teaching, and policy work span local to global contexts and are grounded in an interdisciplinary approach that combines Environmental Studies, Indigenous Studies, Food Systems, and Sustainable Development. She has experience as a policy science consultant and has been selected as a scientist and policy adviser for UNESCO and the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE FSN) and UNDP. In these roles, she focused on elevating the significance of Indigenous knowledge to drive positive global change. As a result, she has contributed to a suite of global reports, including the UNESCO IPBES Values Assessment of Nature policy report and two recent policy reports from the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition. 

Recently, UNESCO nominated Dr. Mariaelena Huambachano to the Indigenous and Local Knowledge Expert Task Force for the mandate 20024-2008. Her book, “Recovering Our Ancestral Foodways: Indigenous Traditions as Recipe For Living Well,” reflects her expertise and offers invaluable insights into Indigenous food sovereignty, Indigenous philosophies of well-being, environmental justice, sustainable food systems, and policy-making.