Santa Cruz, California, United States
I hold an engineering diploma in agronomy, a PhD on ecosystems, and am a Cooperative Extension Specialist on Agroecology at UC ANR. I work at the intersection between water management and agroecological systems in Mediterranean and semi-arid climates. I am interested in how to take into account irrigation and water management needs as we design the agroecological transition of agricultural systems. I use innovation tracking and evaluation methodologies, participatory approaches, but also systemic and modelling approaches combined with experimental methods at the field plot and farm scale; as well as working with farmers to quantify water usage and building new ways of managing irrigation. An overarching goal of my work is to provide science-based guidance to local communities and develop solutions to challenges caused by the climate crisis. I have coordinated multiple projects and supervised many students. I previously worked at the Centre de coopération Internationale pour la Recherche en Agriculture pour le Développement (CIRAD) in France, and conducted research in North Africa and Southern France. I have also worked in the Sahel region, Kenya, and Mexico. Portfolio: https://sites.google.com/site/leauthaud/lab
In collaboration with the University of Pekin, China