Dr. Miguel Altieri Awarded Faculty Honorary Professor and Worldwide Leader in Agroecology

Dr. Miguel Altieri is a Food First Fellow and is involved in the North America chapter of SOCLA, convened by Food First. This article was originally published in Spanish and can be found here.

Dr. Miguel Altieri, researcher from the University of Berkeley, California, has been recognized as one of the world’s leaders in agroecology, a discipline for which he has advocated for in Chile, his homeland, and in particular, at the University of La Frontera (UFRO), a Chilean university which he has maintained a continuous relationship with for the past two decades.

It is precisely because of his collaborative relationship with UFRO that the University decided to honor him with the title of Faculty of Agricultural and Forest Sciences Honorary Professor, a recognition which is given to the highest ranking academics, from Chile or abroad, who have contributed significantly to the expansion of a faculty department or area of knowledge.

This is the first time that the Faculty of Agricultural and Forest Sciences has given this honor, and is also the first time Dr. Altieri has received an honor of this type from a Chilean institution of higher education. “I am greatly honored and proud to receive this recognition from a Chilean and regional university such as the UFRO,” the guest of honor commented, who holds honorary titles from prestigious universities around the world.

At the award ceremony, Dean Rodolfo Pihan expressed appreciation for Dr. Altieri’s broad experience, highlighting his continuous relationship with UFRO throughout the last 20 years. This relationship was born out of Dr. Altieri’s connection with Dr. Aliro Contreras and Dr. René Montalba; together, they participated in the development of a joint research proposal and worked as counterparts on many projects. In addition to participating in different academic events and activities in both undergraduate and graduate programs, Dr. Altieri is currently supporting UFRO faculty in the launch of a new graduate program.

“It’s a pleasure for our faculty to give this recognition to someone that fully meets the standards of academic excellence and of collaboration with our university,”  Dean Pihan stated.

Altieri also pointed out the valuable work carried out by UFRO in the field of agroecology, and added that he plans to continue collaborating with UFRO by participating in academic activities similar to recent work in which he lectured for a course for the Master Program of Natural Resources Management and promoted exchange between students and teachers on various research projects.

Dr. Altieri is an agricultural engineer who graduated from the University of Chile and has been a professor of agroecology since 1980 with the Environmental Department of the University of California, Berkeley, United States, one of the world’s top five universities and the highest-ranked public university worldwide. He is internationally regarded as one of the most prestigious scientists in the field of agroecology, sustainable agriculture, and agricultural systems resilience.