Susana Alejandre Ortiz

Susana is a sociologist by profession, graduated from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana- Xochimilco. Graduated from the Ibero-American University in Ecology, Sustainable Development and Environmental Management. With more than 30 years of experience in sustainable development themes. She is currently Coordinator of the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) of the Oaxaca office, and Coordinator of the Mexican Agrobiodiversity project.

Her experience has been to promote territorial collaboration models in the state of Oaxaca, with the aim of building mechanisms and strategies that help conserve Mexican agrobiodiversity and agroecosystems. Through gathering and generating information focused on 12 native crops, among which stand out the products of “la Milpa” corn, beans, gourds, quelite and other wild relatives, in direct collaboration with farmers and communities. As well as promoting support for participatory projects to strengthen the establishment of community or family seed banks. Promote advocacy actions on public policies that promote the conservation of traditional agriculture and the process of evolution under domestication. Promote link to fair markets through the application of value chains, labeling, collectives and cooperatives, among others.

In the last 8 years, together with other institutions, she has coordinated the Agrobiodiversity Fair that brings together 450 farmers from all over the state of Oaxaca and other states of Mexico to exchange knowledge and seeds and thereby preserve this important genetic material that represents security and food sovereignty of Oaxaca and Mexico in general.

She has been part of the Colaboratory Kitchen project since 2020.