V. Ernesto Méndez
Professor of Agroecology and Environmental Studies
225 Jeffords Hall
63 Carrigan Drive
Burlington, VT 05405
United States
- Ph.D. Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2004
- M.Sc. Tropical Agriculture Research & Education Center Turrialba, Costa Rica, 1996
- B.Sc. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, 1994
Institute for Agroecology
Faculty Fellow, Gund Institute for Environment
Steering Committee Member, Food Systems at UVM
Affiliated Faculty, Food Systems Graduate Program, UVM
Adjunct Professor, M.S., Agroecology/Sustainable Rural Development, U Internacional de Analucía
Adjunct Professor, Ph.D., Environment and Society, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Spain
Affiliated Researcher, Community Agroecology Network
Advisory Committee Member, Collaborative Crop Research Program
Area(s) of expertise
- Agroecology
- Food Security and Sovereignty
- Rural Livelihoods
- Agrifood Systems
- Political Ecology
- Participatory Action Research (PAR)
- Environmental Conservation in Agricultural Landscapes
BIO
V. Ernesto Méndez serves on the leadership team of the Institute for Agroecology as Co-Director and is a Professor of Agroecology at the University of Vermont’s Department of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment (ALE). His research and teaching focus on agroecology, agrifood systems, smallholder coffee systems, participatory action research (PAR), and transdisciplinary research approaches.
At UVM, he is also a faculty member of the Food Systems Graduate Program, fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment, and active in advancing issues of inclusion, equity, and belonging. He has over 25 years of experience working with smallholder farmers and Indigenous communities in Latin America and collaborating in agroecology initiatives in a wide diversity of regions. Recently, these efforts have expanded across the world and currently include education and research initiatives in the Northeast U.S.A., Latin America, Africa, and Europe. Since 2022, he serves as vice-president of the board of directors of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology (SOCLA).
His research and teaching efforts focus on developing and applying interdisciplinary approaches that analyze interactions between agriculture, livelihoods, and environmental conservation in tropical and temperate rural landscapes. Most of this work also utilizes a Participatory Action Research Approach (PAR), in an effort to directly support conservation and rural development.
To see the full listing of his courses please visit his Teaching Program web page.
Twitter: @Agroecology_UVM
Courses
- PSS 212 Advanced Agroecology
- ENVS 202 Senior Capstone Course
- Certificate of Graduate Study in Agroecology
Awards and Achievements
Distinguished Graduate Alumnus Award, 2020, University of California, Santa Cruz
Hubert W. Vogelmann Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship, 2015, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont
Lynne Bond Outstanding Faculty Service Learning Award, 2015, Community and University Partnerships Office (CUPS), University of Vermont
Bio
V. Ernesto Méndez serves on the leadership team of the Institute for Agroecology as Co-Director and is a Professor of Agroecology at the University of Vermont’s Department of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment (ALE). His research and teaching focus on agroecology, agrifood systems, smallholder coffee systems, participatory action research (PAR), and transdisciplinary research approaches.
At UVM, he is also a faculty member of the Food Systems Graduate Program, fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment, and active in advancing issues of inclusion, equity, and belonging. He has over 25 years of experience working with smallholder farmers and Indigenous communities in Latin America and collaborating in agroecology initiatives in a wide diversity of regions. Recently, these efforts have expanded across the world and currently include education and research initiatives in the Northeast U.S.A., Latin America, Africa, and Europe. Since 2022, he serves as vice-president of the board of directors of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology (SOCLA).
His research and teaching efforts focus on developing and applying interdisciplinary approaches that analyze interactions between agriculture, livelihoods, and environmental conservation in tropical and temperate rural landscapes. Most of this work also utilizes a Participatory Action Research Approach (PAR), in an effort to directly support conservation and rural development.
To see the full listing of his courses please visit his Teaching Program web page.
Twitter: @Agroecology_UVM
Courses
- PSS 212 Advanced Agroecology
- ENVS 202 Senior Capstone Course
- Certificate of Graduate Study in Agroecology
Awards and Achievements
Distinguished Graduate Alumnus Award, 2020, University of California, Santa Cruz
Hubert W. Vogelmann Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship, 2015, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont
Lynne Bond Outstanding Faculty Service Learning Award, 2015, Community and University Partnerships Office (CUPS), University of Vermont
Publications
Recent Publications
Cuéllar, M., D.López-García, A.Azevedo-Olival, N.P.Laranjeira, V.E. Méndez, S.Peredo, C.A.Barbosa, C.Barrera-Salas, M.Caswell, R.Cohen, A.Correo-Humanes, V.García-García, S.R.Gliessman, A.Pomar-León, A.Sastre-Morató, G.Tendero-Acín(submitted)Cuéllar, M., D.López-García, A.Azevedo-Olival, N.P.Laranjeira, V.E. Méndez, S.Peredo, C.A.Barbosa, C.Barrera-Salas, M.Caswell, R.Cohen, A.Correo-Humanes, V.García-García, S.R.Gliessman, A.Pomar-León, A.Sastre-Morató, G.Tendero-Acín(submitted) Building Agroecology with people. Challenges of participatory methods to deepen on the agroecological transition in different contexts. Journal of Rural Studies.
Doran, E., A. Zia, S. Hurley, Y. Tsai, C. Koliba, E.C. Adair, R. Schattman, V.E. Méndez, D. Rizzo (submitted) Social-Psychological Determinants of Farmer Intention to Adopt Nutrient Management Practices: Implications for Resilient Adaptation to Climate Change in the Lake Champlain Basin. Journal of Environmental Management
Anderzén, J., A. Guzmán-Luna, D.V. Luna-González, S. Merrill, M. Caswell, V. E. Méndez, R. Hernandez-Jonapa, M. Mier y Teran (in review) Effects of on-farm diversification strategies on smallholder coffee farmer food security and income sufficiency in Chiapas, Mexico. Journal of Rural Studies.
Méndez, V.E., M. Caswell, S.R. Gliessman & R. Cohen (2017) Integrating Agroecology and Participatory Action Research (PAR): Lessons from Central America. Invited Article for a Special Issue on “Agroecology at the Crossroads: Challenges for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems”. Sustainability [open access] 9(5):705
Vermont Research & Projects
Part of the research collaborative The Vermont Agricultural Resilience in a Changing Climate. This is a long-term initiative that seeks to work with farmers, agricultural service providers, researchers and community organizations to address the impacts of climate change in Vermont.
International Research & Projects
Agroecology and Rural Livelihoods in Coffee Regions of Mesoamerica. My research activities in this area focus on the potential of agroecology to support farmer livelihoods and conserve ecosystem services in agroforestry-dominated landscapes. Most of our previous work focused on shade coffee, but we are expanding it to include other forms of agroforestry, such as homegardens, and food crops (such as corn, beans and vegetables).