Affiliated Faculty

Biography, Education and Training

I am a UC ANR Cooperative Extension Specialist working on agroecology, climate change and water management. I undertake collaborative, multifaceted research and outreach activities to address the socio-environmental crisis related to climate change and water resources in, with and for agroecological systems and practices in California.  To do so, I do grower-focused science-based applied research and outreach and work with local, regional, state and national partners and clientele. 

I am based at the University of California Santa Cruz, within the Center for Agroecology and the Department of Environmental Studies. 

I am really excited to be part of a larger community working on sustainable agriculture and water management in California! I look forward to  learning from and contributing to building and sharing knowledge and experiences with you all!

 

Research and extension activities

I work at the intersection between water management and agroecological systems in Mediterranean and semi-arid climates, with a particular focus on California. I am interested in how to take into account irrigation and water management needs as we design the agroecological transition of agricultural systems in a climate changing context; as well as working with farmers to quantify water usage and building new ways of managing irrigation. 

An overarching goal of my work is to provide science-based guidance to local communities and develop solutions to challenges caused by the climate crisis. 

My areas of expertise are holistic and systemic approaches to characterize farming systems, agroecological practices (in particular compost teas and agroforestry), Mediterranean agriculture (in particular North Africa), participatory research, irrigation monitoring and scheduling with a focus on open source, low-cost do-it-yourself sensors. 

I develop two types of activities:

·      water management within and through agroecology

·      technological solutions for water management 

 

Methodological approaches

My core research and extension goals and methods are established through a state-wide needs assessment. 

I use multiple approaches, spanning systemic agronomy and the analysis of agrarian systems, to diagnosing opportunities and constraints for the development of agroecological practices. In particular, I use innovation tracking methods, then evaluate certain aspects through field data collection and/or trials and modeling (integrated or coupled soil-vegetation-atmosphere models). I combine these with participative research.

Concerning extension work, much of my work systematically involves the non-academic arena, through participatory processes. I have produced documents and media adapted to various stakeholders, including radio, video, and newspaper articles. I have always worked in pluri-disciplinary teams including researchers from social sciences (e.g. political scientist) to physical sciences (e.g. fluid mechanics) and I believe that an agronomist  must bridge the link between disparate disciplines. 

 

Background and previous activities

I have an engineering degree in agronomy from AgroParisTech, France, a master’s degree in ecology from the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France, and a PhD in water and environmental sciences from the University of Montpellier, France, and over a decade of experience in research and extension activities, mostly in the Mediterranean region and Sub-Saharan Africa. 

My career has included studying wetland systems in semi-arid Africa (Tana river delta, Kenya), hydrological modeling of natural and crop systems in the Sahel region in West-Africa, and agronomy applied to water management in North Africa. From 2016 to 2023, I held a permanent research position on the topic of agronomy of hydrosystems at the Cirad institute in France. 

More details on previous work can be found here.

Some recent publications and videos:

Recent scientific publications

·      How is agroforestry practiced in olive groves in Tunisia? Exploring crop associations and farmer’s perceptions (2023) Full paper here

·      Exploring ways to improve agricultural water management in two Mediterranean irrigated systems: promises of wireless low-tech sensor networks (2023).

·      Making technological innovations accessible to agricultural water management: design of a low-cost wireless sensor network for drip irrigation monitoring in Tunisia (2023).  Full paper here

·      Persistence and success of the Sahel desertification narrative (2022). Full paper here

·      Adoption factors and structural characteristics of irrigated olive grove agroforestry systems in Central Tunisia (2022). Full paper here

·      Production and use of homemade dry manure-based tea in fertigation systems in North Africa (2022). Full paper here