Faculty Spotlight: Ivette Perfecto – Sustainable Food Systems Initiative

Faculty Spotlight: Ivette Perfecto

University of Michigan food systems professor, Ivette Perfecto, was inducted on September 30, 2023 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. Learn more about her research and how she ended up doing work in food systems in the following interview.  

Where did you grow up? 

I grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

What do you miss about Puerto Rico after living in Michigan?

I miss the ocean and the mountains, as well as the people. It took me some time to adjust to the culture in the States, despite the friendly nature of the people in the Midwest. The culture in Puerto Rico is more outgoing, and it was a challenge for me to adapt to the different culture, especially the food, and overall way of life here. The hardest thing for me was the weather.  I was not prepared for the Michigan winters!

How did you become interested in agroecology? 

Growing up in the Caribbean, I had a deep connection with the ocean. During my college years, I developed a strong interest in marine biology. The University of Puerto Rico had an excellent marine biology program, but I wanted to expand my knowledge and experiences, so I applied to graduate programs at universities in the US. You might be wondering why I chose Michigan, which is not an obvious choice for someone interested in marine biology. However, Michigan has the Great Lakes, and the Biology Department offered courses in Limnology. I thought to myself, “well… close enough.” Additionally, UM offered me a fellowship, so I took the risk and moved to Michigan with my two-year-old son, Kiko. As a single mother who barely spoke English, at the beginning I faced many challenges, but I was determined not to let them get in the way of this excellent opportunity.

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During my first summer here, I met John Vandermeer and his students. They were conducting a large polyculture experiment at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, and I volunteered to assist them with the fieldwork. That’s when I was first introduced to agroecological research. I was fascinated by the research and the fact that ecological theory could be applied to agriculture while being outside in the field and doing something that has real-world applications and is meaningful for people. I also became involved with Science for the People and NWAEG, two progressive organizations that sharpened my analysis of the need to transform agriculture to make it sustainable and just. This is what motivated me to continue my research in agroecology. Following this experience, I decided to pursue a PhD in agroecology. However, before that, I completed my Master’s in ecology and returned to Puerto Rico. There, I taught biology at the Interamerican University for a year before returning to Michigan. I completed my PhD at the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), where John Witter was my advisor. Unfortunately, we lost him several years ago. After completing my PhD, I was hired as an Assistant Professor in SEAS, where I have been a faculty member for the last 33 years.

Why coffee? 

During the final stages of my PhD, I was in Nicaragua studying the milpa system, which comprises small-scale corn fields. My research focused on the potential use of ants as biological control agents of pests in corn. After completing my PhD, but before starting as an Assistant Professor, I served as a co-instructor for a course in Costa Rica organized by the Organization for Tropical Studies. The course was on managed ecosystems. At that time, Costa Rica was undergoing a transformation from shaded, diverse coffee agroforestry to coffee monoculture. During the course, we conducted a project to study the impacts of this transformation on biodiversity. This was the first project I worked on with students in the course, and it provided the basic data that helped me submit a proposal to the NSF to study the impacts of the transformation of coffee production on biodiversity. This is how I started my research in the coffee agroecosystem. I worked in Costa Rica for the first few years of the project, and then moved to Mexico and Puerto Rico, where I continue to conduct research in the ecology of coffee farms.

How can a coffee consumer be aware of what they are buying?

To find the best coffee, I always start by looking for coffee produced by small-scale farmers. Next, I prioritize farmers who are affiliated with cooperatives and have the “Fair Trade” label. While this may not guarantee that the farms are diverse and have a lot of shade, it is highly likely that those farms participating in fair trade are diverse. The fair trade certification may not require farmers to practice certain techniques, but it encourages them to diversify if they are not already very diverse. Be aware that farms that practice agroecological techniques and are organic may not necessarily be Certified Organic. Many farms are managed in an agroecological way and aren’t certified because they don’t have the money that is required to get the organic certification, but they are still implementing the right practices. Some roasters provide information about the farms from which they buy coffee, and in some cases, the roasters know the coffee farmers and interact directly with them. As someone who works in coffee farms, I always try to purchase from these farms whenever possible. For those who don’t have this opportunity, my advice is to look for coffee that is certified as Fair Trade and comes from a small-scale farmers’ cooperative, as this will likely yield the best results for environmental and social criteria.

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If you’re interested in bird conservation, I recommend looking for coffee that carries the bird-friendly certification label. This certification program was developed by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and I had a hand in developing the certification criteria. Farms that are certified as bird-friendly are organic and have a high diversity of shade trees, as well as a mixed canopy. Shaded coffee farms play an important role in the conservation of migratory birds, providing them with food and shelter during their migratory routes through Central and South America in the winter. Unfortunately, the intensification of coffee farming in Central America has led to the elimination of shade trees, resulting in lost habitat for migratory birds. The bird-friendly certification program incentivizes farmers to maintain a diverse tree canopy, which in turn, helps preserve bird habitat.

Tell us about your current research – what is the Perfecto Lab up to?

We are currently working on a project in collaboration with the Institute for Research and Action in Agroecology (IALA-PR). They have recently acquired a coffee farm in Puerto Rico, which includes an ecological processing plant, a coffee roaster, and their own brand, Café Gran Batey. We have been researching this farm for over seven years, and while it is currently a conventional farm, IALA’s goal is to convert it into an agroecological farm. The farm will become a demonstration site where agroecological practices can be showcased to the general public and other coffee farmers. Agroecological coffee production is currently scarce in Puerto Rico, and IALA aims to demonstrate that it is possible to transform conventional coffee farms into agroecological farms while still making a decent living. This project will involve adding cover crops, diversifying the farm, and documenting the conversion process from both an economic and ecological perspective. Our lab will conduct research on the ecological restoration of the farm and monitor how the biodiversity recovers during the conversion period. To facilitate this, we are buying a house within the farm that will serve as a fieldhouse to accommodate students and researchers. During the summer, we usually have 5-12 students and postdocs who go to Puerto Rico to conduct research. This December, after classes end, my husband John Vandermeer and I will go to Puerto Rico to prepare the fieldhouse for the upcoming summer research program. I am excited about this opportunity!

How is it being married to your primary academic collaborator, John Vandermeer?

It’s great! It has worked really well for us. We have disagreements like everyone else, but being able to share a part of my life that is so important to me with him is a blessing. Academia demands a lot from you and it can be difficult to balance your academic life and your family responsibilities. Having a partner that is an academic and works with you in the same field site makes it easier to plan and coordinate fieldwork. John and I are really good friends and we get along very well. Also, I think that our students benefit from having a broader community of people with whom they can share their ideas and even collaborate on research projects. Many interesting research projects have emerged from the cross fertilization between EEB and SEAS students while they are doing field work in the same field site with John and me.

What advice do you have for students interested in food systems careers? 

When studying food systems, it is crucial to take a holistic approach and adopt a critical perspective. Without a critical lens, you might end up working for Big Ag – the large food and agroindustrial corporations that bear the primary responsibility for the current environmental, health, and social crises associated with the current food system. To gain a deeper understanding of the food system, from production to consumption, a holistic and critical approach is necessary. It is essential to comprehend how the food system impacts people’s health, the environment, and social justice, as all of these factors are interconnected. The interconnectedness of these factors makes food systems an exciting and fascinating topic to explore. For students interested in agroecology, it is important to note that building agroecological alternatives alone is not enough. Parallel to that, we need to dismantle the agro-industrial food system that is responsible for the current crisis. Sometimes we do things that make us feel good but have no real consequences. Be willing to challenge the system.

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not researching, teaching, or working?

I am one of those people whose life is mainly their work. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, but it works for me because I genuinely love my work. I would hate to be in a situation where I feel the need to separate my work from my life. That would be necessary only if I dislike my job and need to make time for “fun things” in life. Since I enjoy most aspects of my work (except for bureaucratic chores, which are becoming more frequent in academia), I don’t feel the need to separate “work” and “life”. I guess people would say that I don’t have a good work-life balance. But I disagree with that notion. I believe that my life is integrated rather than fragmented, where I spend some hours working and some hours having fun with family and friends. To give you an example, my husband, John, and I are planning a trip to Turkey mainly to visit some archaeological sites that are relevant to some of our courses (work). On the way there, we will stop in Italy to visit our son and his partner, who live in Sicily (life), and then we may go to some of the Greek islands to visit the field sites where Johannes Foufopoulos works to learn more about his research and perhaps discuss research ideas with him (work? life?). Is this work or life? You tell me.

I also like listening to jazz music and salsa dancing. Here in Ann Arbor, it’s great because we have so many music venues. I was just at the Detroit Jazz Festival a few weeks ago, and just last week, I went to a great jazz jamming session at the North Star Lounge. At the end of the semester, we frequently throw parties for our graduating students in our labs, and often, there is a lot of dancing. Is this part of my “job,” or is it “life”? That’s for you to decide.

Lastly, what’s your go-to recipe?

I am always trying new things, I don’t really have a go-to recipe. I like to experiment, especially with ethnic foods from Italy, India, Thailand, etc. I like to do things that are completely different and outside of my realm and try them out. Usually I don’t go back to them, I just keep trying new things!

Interviewer: Kimmy VanDeWege, SFSI Coordinator
September 5th, 2023

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