CATIE Journeys: Alumni Spotlight
Indira Ortiz, ‘15 explores the impact of her education on dreams and identity
“I knew I wanted to train young leaders on sustainable production and also wanted to grow sustainable and organic food.”
Written by Katie Modic
Indira Ortiz ’15 has traveled the world building resilient agriculture systems throughout the Americas as a professional sustainable farm manager. In 2015, her research in El Carrizal, Honduras, where she worked alongside pepper farmers to improve varieties, led her to double down on her belief that biodiversity is key for resilience in every ecological-productive system. Now a mother of two young daughters and an organic farm manager at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA, Indira (whose first name is pronounced In-dee-ra) shares her thoughts on the irrevocable impact of her CATIE education on her dreams and identity.
Why did you chose to study at CATIE?
I chose CATIE because it offers a great variety of environmental and social programs, which I have a deep passion for. It felt like I found exactly what I was looking for at CATIE! They host an assortment of graduate programs, have exceptional professors & researchers, and very unique research opportunities, which makes it one of the best, if not the best, graduate schools in the Central American region that focuses on climate change, tropical agriculture, genetics, and food security.
During my application process I was very fortunate to get a scholarship through MAP (Mesoamerican Agro-environmental Program). It would not have been possible for me to go to CATIE and accomplish my biggest dream without that economic support.
What did you study at CATIE?
I studied Agroforestry and Sustainable Agriculture, which helped me understand more about the dynamics and balance within different ecosystems found in agricultural landscapes; and the importance of biodiversity as a key for resilience in every ecological-productive system.
Where did your Masters Degree lead you?
After graduating from CATIE, I knew I wanted to train young leaders in sustainable production and also wanted to grow sustainable and organic food. Although I studied tropical agriculture, I have been able to transfer all that knowledge into the day-to-day at my current job, where I manage a 3 acre farm that produces organic vegetables, maple syrup, honey, and mushrooms, and lead a crew of 9 students.
Indira Ortiz, CATIE-MAAS’ 15, with farmers from the community EL Carrizal, Honduras in a sensory evaluation of improved pepper varieties as part of her Master’s Thesis in 2015 (photo credit: I. Ortiz)
ABOVE: Indira Ortiz showing how to harvest walking onions from the Movable High Tunnel to Edmond Nyirenda and Rory Popp, both part of the farm crew at Chatham University. RIGHT: Edmond Nyirenda and Indira Ortiz harvesting cherry tomatoes in the Solar High Tunnel at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA (photo credit I. Ortiz)
