Board

Ernesto Méndez

Ernesto Méndez serves on the leadership team of the Institute for Agroecology as the Faculty Director and is a Professor of Agroecology at the University of Vermont’s Department of Agriculture, Landscape and Environment. 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 justice, equity, and inclusion. He has over 25 years of experience working with smallholder farmers and Indigenous communities in Latin America and collaborating in agroecology efforts 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). He has authored or co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, co-edited three books and co-authored a textbook.

Ernesto was born and raised in El Salvador and maintains deep connections with his Central American roots.