Alan Adams is a former Peace Corps Volunteer currently collaborating as a volunteer consultant for Mushuk Yuyay, a community development organization in the Ecuatorian Andes.
A Historic First: Indigenous Kañari to Host World Quinua Congress in Ecuador
After centuries of colonization and decades of scientific marginalization, an indigenous organization leads the global dialog on research of quinoa and other Andean grains, currrently considered superfoods and an answer to global food insecurity. By Alan Adams with Nicolás Pichazaca In June 2025, the world’s leading researchers, scientists, and producers of quinoa and other Andean […]
Heathy Children, Healthy Future in Ecuador
Indigenous Kañaris place the child at the center of the Andean world — and their commitment to a return to food sovereignty
Indigenous Kañaris place the child at the center of the Andean world
Lino's Dream
Creating a Kañari future based on tradition in the Ecuadorian Andes
Lino Pichasaca and I walked the rough footpaths, the chakiñanes in Kichwa, around the Hacienda Guantug in the province of Cañar, Ecuador. It was 1967, and the Ecuadorian agrarian reform was getting started. Leaders like Lino saw great possibilities and huge obstacles.
Heroes in Ponchos and Sombreros
Behind the Indigenous uprising in Ecuador
“Superheroes don’t wear capes. They wear ponchos and sombreros.” The Andean phrase is being invoked once again in Ecuador.