Multicultural Urban Agroecology Research Exchange in Chiapas, Mexico

During Spring Break, ENVS faculty, staff, and students traveled south for an intense and rewarding experience in urban garden agroecological research and multicultural interaction in the colonial, highland town of San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas.

Associate Professor Stacy Philpott and Research Specialist Peter Bichier traveled to Chiapas, Mexico with two ENVS grad students (Hamutahl Cohen and Monika Egerer) and two ENVS undergraduate students (Montse Plascencia and Jen Schneiderman) for a short research trip to learn about urban agroecology.

The project, funded by UC-Mexus and led by Philpott and Co-PI Helda Morales from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) aims to a) determine the importance of local management characteristics and landscape surroundings for enhancing conservation biological control of crop pests in urban gardens and b) to increase cross-cultural understanding between researchers in the US and Mexico.

Read the full article here.