I joined Noragric in December, 2021, as Researcher on the Biodiversity for Opportunities, Livelihoods and Development (BOLD) Project. Noragric's Seed System Lab is a research and knowledge partner on this project. Our role is to co-develop knowledge, assess impact, and build capacity to improve farmers’ access to crop diversity to make food systems more sustainable, working with partners in Bhutan, Ecuador, Tanzania, Uganda, and Benin.
Trained in ethnobotany, plant and landscape ecology, and conservation biology, my research interests lie in understanding local and indigenous people’s knowledge, use and management of both cultivated and wild plant resources in agricultural landscapes. My M.Sc. and Ph.D. research examined dynamics of change in the availability of culturally important plant resources on territories of the Tule (Kuna) people in Panama and the Yucatec Maya of Mexico. In the past decade, I have worked with non-profit organizations such as SeedChange (formerly USC Canada) and The Development Fund of Norway (Utviklingsfondet) on programs aimed at strengthening the food and farming systems of smallholder farmers in Central America, Africa and Asia. Through this work I have developed experience in seed system development, as well as skills in project management, monitoring and evaluation.