Daniela Sclavo Castillo

Daniela Sclavo is a biologist and historian of science who works on the cultural understanding of crop conservation efforts and the intersections between food security and sovereignty. She studied biology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and obtained a master’s degree in History and Philosophy of Science from University College London. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Cambridge, and her project explores how subjective elements such as taste, identity, and senses of belonging impact the way different social groups value crops. In this sense, she investigates different ideas of loss and imaginary futures to understand how crop conservation efforts are conceptualized and whose knowledge/participation is considered and why. Her career focus is on exploring alternative, decolonial, and more responsible ways of doing history, such as participatory action research and the co-creation of narratives about the past, present, and future. She has been collaborating with Cocina Colaboratorio since 2020, where she has explored the meaning, status, and stories of chilies in the Santo Domingo community in Oaxaca, particularly alongside women with extensive local culinary knowledge.