Professor of Ecology, Natural Resources and Environment
My research focuses on biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. More broadly I am interested in sustainable food systems and the interactions between biodiversity and food sovereignty. My two books, Breakfast of Biodiversity (2005, with John Vandermeer), and Nature’s Matrix: Linking Agriculture, Conservation and Food Sovereignty (2009, with Angus Wright and John Vandermeer), reflects my interest in examining the interactions between natural and social systems in a dialectical way. As one of the lead coordinating authors of the United Nation’s International Assessment on Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD, 2009), I had the opportunity to work with many colleagues from academia, government and the non-profit sector in evaluating the current food system and proposing just and sustainable alternatives. With my colleague, Catherine Badgley, I teach two courses directly related to food systems, Introduction to Sustainable Food Systems (Environ 316) and Food, Land and Society (Environ 318). This last course is an intensive field course with a two-week field trip to Cuba or Chiapas, Mexico.