Eli

Eli Minev is a high school senior from Manaus (Amazonas) dedicated to sustainability, food security, and the preservation of Amazonian traditional knowledge. Inspired by a family active in social innovation, he began transforming abandoned spaces into agroforestry gardens at age 15 to combat urban food insecurity. 

His main project, Amazônia Chibata: Ariá, promotes the revival of ariá—a native tuber—through a model that merges ancestral knowledge and scientific research to foster food autonomy. As lead author, Eli co-published a book on the subject alongside Indigenous researchers and, leading a diverse team, he also conducts educational activities at the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA).

Guided by principles of ecological, economic, and social justice taught by his great-grandfather, Eli seeks to reimagine the Amazon through sustainable food systems and intercultural knowledge  exchange.