The scientist who changed agriculture

Speaking about Johanna Döbereiner is no easy task. A woman with a strong personality, who broke through science and faced various obstacles until she was able to prove that her research was on the right track, she was always one step ahead of the reality of her time. She believed in herself and went forward. She overcame barriers since her youth, when, at a very young age, she had to leave Prague in a hurry due to the persecution of the German-speaking population in the post-war period in the Czech Republic, which caused her mother's death in a concentration camp.

After that, in what was then West Germany, she had contact with land and agriculture. She worked in farms to support herself and her grandparents and to pay for her studies at the Agronomy college. She came to Brazil following her father, also a scientist, and it was in  Brazilian lands where she really learned to do science. Following the teachings of her mother, who always insisted equal education for her and her brother, Johanna stood out in a predominantly male universe. She earned the respect of her peers and, little by little, raised it to higher levels, being recognized for her work worldwide.

Johanna was a scientist, a woman and a mother. She has received numerous awards and honors. She led research at Embrapa Agrobiology and mentored scholarship holders who are now spread throughout Brazil, perhaps even throughout the world. She was head of the Unit, but she never left the research activities aside in order to focus only on the administrative and bureaucratic procedures of a government institution. She accumulated roles with mastery, as if she were conducting an orchestra.

Such dynamism was not overshadowed by the years. Whether in her 30s or 70s, Johanna kept her eyes bright, her data examination sharp, and her conviction that only science and the search for knowledge could contribute to a more sustainable agriculture. "I have ideas for another 50 or 60 years. I won't live this long. We have to exchange information and knowledge. Science needs this,", she used to say.

Her name has entered into eternity. Among the many honors she has received, both in life and posthumously, one more can be added to the list: she is the 2016 honoree of the National Science and Technology Week, promoted throughout Brazil by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications.

Learn more about Johanna's life and career

Check more pictures