Miguel Altieri is a Chilean born agronomist and entomologist. He is a Professor of
Agroecology
Agroecology (US: a-grō-ē-ˈkä-lə-jē) is an academic discipline that studies ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems. Bringing ecological principles to bear can suggest new management approaches in agroecosystems. Th ...
at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.
Career
Miguel Altieri studied agronomy at the
University of Chile
The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843. , where he received a bachelor's degree. He graduated with a Ph.D. in
entomology at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
. In 1981 he became Professor of
agroecology
Agroecology (US: a-grō-ē-ˈkä-lə-jē) is an academic discipline that studies ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems. Bringing ecological principles to bear can suggest new management approaches in agroecosystems. Th ...
at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.
He has been teaching courses in agroecology,
agroforestry and
urban agriculture
Urban agriculture, urban farming, or urban gardening is the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around urban areas. It encompasses a complex and diverse mix of food production activities, including fisheries and fo ...
. He is an advocate of
sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem ser ...
and is highly critical of large
agribusiness corporations such as Cargill, Monsanto, and ADM. He has conducted most of his research in California and Chile working closely with farmers and workers to implement principles of
integrated pest management
Integrated pest management (IPM), also known as integrated pest control (IPC) is a broad-based approach that integrates both chemical and non-chemical practices for economic control of pests. IPM aims to suppress pest populations below the econ ...
,
intercropping
Intercropping is a multiple cropping practice that involves growing two or more crops in proximity. In other words, intercropping is the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the same field. The most common goal of intercropping is ...
,
cover cropping, crop-field border vegetation manipulation, and other sustainable practices of
biological control
Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also i ...
.
Altieri served as a Scientific Advisor to the Latin American Consortium on Agroecology and Development (CLADES) Chile, an NGO network promoting agroecology as a strategy for small farm sustainable development in the region. He also served for 4 years as the General Coordinator for the
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
’s Sustainable Agriculture Networking and Extension Programme which aimed at capacity building on agroecology among NGOs and the scaling-up of successful local sustainable agricultural initiatives in Africa, Latin America and Asia. He was the chairman of the NGO committee of the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research whose mission was to make sure that the research agenda of the 15 International Agricultural Research Centers benefited poor farmers. He was Director of the US-Brasil Consortium on Agroecology and Sustainable Rural Development (CASRD), an academic-research exchange program involving students and faculty of UC Berkeley, University of Nebraska, UNICAMP and Universidad Federal de Santa Catarina. AS of 2011 he has been advisor to the
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) leads the programme Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS), which helps identify ways to mitigate threats faced by these systems and their people and enhance the ...
(GIAHS) program, which is devoted at identifying and dynamically conserving traditional farming systems in the developing world. He is the President of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology.
In 2012, he supported farming the
Gill Tract, a UC owned part of land. in 2017, he became Honorary Professor of the
University of La Frontera
Publications
Altieri is the author of more than 200 publications, and more than a dozen books
including ''Agroecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture'' (1987, 1995, 2018),
''Biodiversity and pest management in agroecosystems'' (1994, 2004) and ''Agroecology and the Search for a Truly Sustainable Agriculture'' (with Clara I. Nicholls, 2005).
The significance of diversity in the maintenance of the sustainability of traditional agro-ecosystemsILEIA Newsletter, 3.2, July 1987
SOCLA’s Ph.D. programme: A new cadre of scientists-activistsFarming Matters, 29.3, September 2013
Agro-ecological approaches to enhance resilienceLEISA India, 14.2, June 2012
Managing pests through plant diversificationLEISA Magazine, 22.4, December 2006
References
External links
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AgroecologyUC Berkeley
Miguel AltieriUnited Nations, General Assembly, n.d.
Agroecology in ActionUrban AgroecologyThe Latin American Scientific Society of AgroecologyInterview with Miguel Altieri: Why is agroecology the solution to hunger and food security?YouTube video, 4min,
Transnational Institute
The Transnational Institute (TNI), is an international non-profit research and advocacy think tank that was founded in 1974, Amsterdam, Netherlands. According to their website, the organization promotes a "... just, democratic and sustainable wor ...
, 12.01.2012
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Altieri, Miguel
Living people
Agroecologists
Chilean agronomists
University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences alumni
University of California, Berkeley College of Natural Resources faculty
Year of birth missing (living people)