Georgina Catacora-Vargas is a visiting professor from Bolivia at Ithaca College through the Fulbright Scholar Program, which allows for non-citizens of the United States to come to colleges and universities across the U.S. to shine an international spotlight on their expertise and allows U.S. citizens to bring their expertise to other countries. Catacora-Vargas will be at the college in the Department of the Environment for the 2025-26 academic year. Catacora-Vargas has a background in agricultural engineering with a focus on biodiversity and gender that she analyzes through a human rights approach.
Catacora-Vargas teaches agroecology at the Bolivian Catholic University, where she is currently on sabbatical, and also serves as the President of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology.
Senior Writer Liam McDermott spoke with Catacora-Vargas about her research in agroecology and how it relates to gender, as well as her plans for her time at the college and within the Ithaca community.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
Liam McDermott: How did you become interested in agricultural engineering?
Georgina Catacora-Vargas: When I was younger, I wanted to work on something that integrates working with ecosystems, nature and agriculture. During [my] final year of high school on a field trip, we visited my home country, a rural area, and there was a person who was an agricultural engineer. I said, “That’s what I want to do. I want to work with crops, with soil, with trees, with nature and together with people.”
LM: What brought you to Ithaca College?
GCV: I’ve been invited by one of the faculty members … Michael Smith [professor in the Department of History], who is also affiliated with the environmental department, to apply together for a Fulbright Scholarship to teach ecology to students. That wasn’t in my plans. I thought, well, that’s a nice opportunity to change the dynamic of my work to be exposed to a different academic system, interact with a different group of young people.
LM: How did you start to take a gender and human rights perspective on the topic?
GCV: That came as a part of the professional career that everyone takes. I started to denormalize what is normalized for women, youth and recently with non-binary people and I wanted to get more consciousness around that. … We need to embrace inclusiveness in all aspects.
LM: I know some of your research has to do with farmers’ rights. There has been a lot of news on the topic, as an increase in immigration enforcement has left some farmers with a worker shortage. Has this had an effect on your work, and if so, how?
GCV: It’s not affecting my work. I work mostly in Bolivia and in Latin America. The people I work with are farmers and ecologists. A very healthy pattern I see is that a majority of households and people who are dedicated to ecology want to stay in their home countries and in their communities. … While I am in the U.S., I want to talk to immigrants and know how their situation is because certainly part of [people’s] and farmers’ rights is the right to work and have secure jobs, but also to work with safety and in a healthy environment.
LM: New York state has a large food and farming industry. How has being here changed your perspective on your research? Have you had a chance to talk to people in the area who are in the industry?
GCV: I see here that the dynamics are very interesting in two senses. One is a very corporate food system that we know is not only accessed in the U.S., but also everywhere in the world. There are also initiatives that are very inspiring and have lots of support. For instance, farmers markets, community-supported agriculture and the different organic farms that exist in the area.
LM: How has your time at Ithaca College been so far?
GCV: It has been a nice surprise. I was not expecting such a nice community in terms of the landscape, possibility of human relationships, open minds and progressive thinking. … I like that the people are very progressive and creative. … The landscape is so beautiful with the waterfalls and the colors. … But I have some challenges, such as the food. I am used to having more access to fresh food and a huge variety of fresh fruits. That has been a bit challenging for me.
LM: What do you do on a weekly basis as a Fulbright Scholar in the Department of the Environment?
GCV: My main activity is organizing research activities I want to carry out here. I am also going to do field work next semester. I am also participating in activities at Cornell University. I am participating in the [Perspectives in Global Development Seminar Series].
LM: What are your future goals for your research?
GCV: Here at Ithaca, my research goals [are] to complete the three research [projects] that I am organizing. One is on the food environments for college students. Another is on the contribution of wellness to the Ithaca Community Garden, and non-binary farming. Beyond Ithaca College and my stay here as a Fulbright Scholar, my goal is to continue doing participatory action research together with farmers, small peasants and indigenous peoples … as well as establishing my own farm school for youth, children and peasants to learn ecology.
