I am currently working on the history of agricultural and agroecological education at UC Berkeley. My aim is to identify the processes that contributed to making different knowledges on agriculture, either reputed or marginal. How some approaches, recognized as important and promising, were abandoned and others become dominant? My research examines some of the scientific debates on the transformations, problems, and challenges in California agriculture since 1950 through the study of Sacramento, Berkeley and Davis archives. Environmental history and science and technology studies (STS) approaches provide me theoretical tools to study this topic. I combine archival research and sociohistorical analysis with field investigation, interviewing and following the debates of scientists, programs managers and farmers groups.
More generally, my main interest is on crop genetic diversity conservation and management. I am fascinated by analyzing the use of crop diversity through the prism of scientific approaches, agricultural modernization, and farmers practices. I continue to conduct my research on the ex situ/in situ conservation methodologies and on plant breeding strategies from the Green Revolution until today. Since 2011, I have been studying farmers management of maize diversity in Mexico, France, and Italy and I continue to be deeply attracted by farmer approaches to crop diversity.
