Carlos Manuel Ochoa Nieves

Carlos M. Ochoa was a renowned Peruvian plant breeder, botanist, ethnobotanist, and an expert in potato taxonomy. He was born on November 27, 1920, in Cusco, Peru, and passed away on December 11, 2008, in Lima, Peru. Ochoa received his degrees from the Universidad Mayor de San Simón in Bolivia and the University of Minnesota in the USA. He dedicated his life to the study and breeding of wheat and potatoes, creating significant Peruvian potato varieties such as Renacimiento, Yungay, and Tomasa Condemayta. His work in collecting many native potato varieties and wild potato species was monumental, with one-third of the nearly 200 known wild potato species first described by him. Ochoa's contributions to the field have been recognized with many international awards, and he served as a professor emeritus at the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina in Peru. In 1971, he joined the International Potato Center, furthering his impact on agricultural science and food security.