The deputy director of the University of Concepción Chillán Campus, Susana Fischer Ganzoni, received the Woman Agroinnovator Award for the year 2025, in the Academic/Researcher/Agricultural Professional Category, who has dedicated her career to transforming the relationship between agriculture and health.
During the award ceremony held at the Ruperto Hepp auditorium of the Faculty of Agronomy, the farmer who best represents the role of the innovative woman and the professional who has made a relevant contribution to the development of the sector and the strengthening of a culture of innovation were highlighted. On this occasion, Karen Aguilera Cartes, co-founder and general manager of the company Raíces del Sol de Quillón, was also distinguished in the Entrepreneur category, who has revolutionized horticulture in the Ñuble Region.
Fischer's pioneering work focuses on the nutri-functionality of crops and medicinal plants, researching how agronomic management — such as controlled water deficit — stimulates the synthesis of bioactive compounds in vegetables. This methodology not only improves the nutritional quality of foods like quinoa but also ensures viable and sustainable economic yields for agriculture in contexts of water scarcity.
"UdeC's role in this process is strategic, when our academic work does not stay in the laboratory: but rather seeks real solutions that directly impact the well-being of those who inhabit our territories. Beyond her brilliant research career, we highlight the human quality and approachability of Professor Susana Fischer Ganzoni, essential values for academic work that transforms lives. It fills us with joy to see how, day by day, the leading role of women in all spheres is increasingly recognized: from research and extension, to outreach," highlighted the general director of UdeC Chillán Campus, Macarena Dávila Vera.
The Woman Agroinnovator Award has been given since 2022 and was created with the aim of promoting greater presence and participation of women in the innovation ecosystem of the forestry, agricultural, and livestock sector and the agri-food chain.
"This is an award for talent, innovation, and contribution to national agriculture by women who have energized territories from the agricultural sector. It is a network that continues to grow and will serve them to generate new links and spaces for collaboration in the different areas in which each one works. In this way, they mutually strengthen each other within this conglomerate of women, facilitating that innovation reaches every sector of our territory," added the executive director of the Foundation for Agrarian Innovation, Andrés Gálmez Commentz, via a video.
Susana Fischer is a reference in the sector, she has led international cooperation networks and trade union positions, always standing out for her contribution to closing gender and education gaps in the countryside. Her work is a showcase of innovation that puts circular bioeconomy and agroecology at the service of social well-being and food sovereignty in Chile.
"Recognitions are always nice, especially when there is a whole story behind them, in which family farming and, particularly, vegetable growers have been present. What is valuable is that it constitutes conclusive proof that science did not stay in the office, but from the beginning was linked to the territory together with the farmers. Science reaches agriculture and then returns to the office, generating a virtuous flow of knowledge exchange. This recognition precisely highlights that process, which ultimately benefits us all as a society, as a country, and as a planet. There are many people behind this recognition who are valuable, even more than the contribution I have made. I dedicate this to my female farmers," described the deputy director of UdeC Chillán Campus, Susana Fischer Ganzoni.
As the creator of the Horticultural Management Unit and the Medicinal Plants Garden of the UdeC Faculty of Agronomy, she has established a model of intercultural technology transfer. Her leadership integrates knowledge from indigenous peoples with science, promoting the co-creation of knowledge in diverse rural environments.
It is worth noting that a few weeks ago, Susana Fischer Ganzoni was distinguished as a Full Professor at the University of Concepción, the highest rank of the teaching staff, and was subsequently unanimously ratified as deputy director of the Chillán Campus, at an extraordinary Campus Council meeting.
Source:La Discusión
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