Cirilo Ramírez, Herácleo Gamboa and Tarcila Yllaconza, inhabitants of the district of Huambalpa in Ayacucho, were recognized for their contribution to safeguard and promote native maize.

For more than a decade Ramírez and Gamboa have preserved the cultivation of more than 30 ecotypes, while Yllaconza stands out for the production of flour, field and corn-base traditional drinks, such us chicha.

“His extensive knowledge of maize production, its multiple forms of preparation and properties, stood out above all other producers,” said Anice Rimari, a member of CHIRAPAQ, Center of Indigenous Cultures of Peru.

These three maize keepers are members of the Association of Agricultural Producers of Vilcas Huamán, Saurama and Huambalpa (APAVISAH), who have organized to commercialize flours based on different native products.

The award was made during the second edition of the Organic Corn Festival, held on May 16 in the main square of this town. During the exhibition a diverse variety of multicolored maize, such as pillpe, morocho, pink starch, illichiway, uchcu chuño, among others, were exhibited.

The festival was organized by the Huambalpa District Municipality, the CHIRAPAQ association and the Agrarian Agency of Vilcas Huamán.

CHIRAPAQ promotes for 30 years an initiative to promote indigenous food culture, whose main protagonists are known today publicly  awarded by the local authorities. the initiative is held thanks to our alliance with Bread for the World.