Welcoming Roberto Ugas

CCRP is delighted to welcome to Roberto Ugas who joins the leadership team as the Liaison Scientist for the Andes Community of Practice. Roberto is a Peruvian agronomist with graduate studies in the Netherlands and Japan in the fields of ecological agriculture, agrobiodiversity, and rural development. He is a Professor at Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM, Peru), where he is conducting research and lectures on horticulture, agroecology, smallholders, plant genetic resources, and food systems. He is also a member of the Latin America continental supervisory board of Solidaridad, and participates in the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology, and in the International Society for Horticultural Sciences. Roberto is also a curator of the germplasm bank of chili peppers at UNALM and uses these crops to conduct research, teaching, and outreach activities to promote improved value chains for smallholders, with stronger connections with agroecology, gastronomy, and nutrition. Roberto brings extensive experience both at the regional and international level. He has been a member of the advisory committee of Peru´s National Association of Ecological Producers and of the accreditation committee of the International Organic Accreditation Services. He has also been the Vice-President of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and member of the boards of Peru’s Permanent Seminar on Agrarian Research, Peru Opportunity Fund, and the International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems.