#StartWithWhy, Sofía Cristóbal Reyes
Environmental Scientist, Passionate about Food Systems
Having a powerful Why gives our business/life a deeper meaning and makes everything else secondary. A powerful Why makes us motivated and enthusiastic and can be a powerful driving tool.
Join us for this campaign as we share our Why and help Inspire individuals looking for their #WHY.
Who are you and what project did you start?
I am a young Environmental Scientist born and raised in Mexico. My area of specialization is the Management of Socioecological Systems, with a primary interest in biodiversity conservation, agriculture, food security, and social justice.
My formation in university was driven by the transdisciplinary approach, with multiple courses from Ecology to Social and Political Sciences. This background let me expand my horizons and became a powerful tool to comprehend the socio-ecological challenges our societies are facing.
Why did you start, where did the idea come from?
As a university student, I had the opportunity to broaden my experience and knowledge towards sustainable development and biodiversity conservation through research staying abroad at Kyushu University, in Japan.
Furthermore, I co-authored a book chapter on food sovereignty and security, which influenced my undergraduate thesis on the relationship between soil functional biodiversity, and land-use change due to agricultural expansion. Later, under the socio-ecological complex system approach, I examined the socio-economic and political forces influencing food security and agriculture. I analyzed the increasing global food demand, overpopulation, and urbanization trends all at the expense of ecosystems, as well as social inequalities such as poverty and malnutrition. This project reinforced my interest in food systems and food security, especially within the Global South.
Afterward, drawn by the desire to contribute to sustainable development and co-build sustainable food systems, I found the GlocAllia team. GlocAllia is an organization that promotes social justice and environmental conservation in marginalized communities in East Africa. Their values are based on the empowerment of local communities to enhance the local economy and to foster agroecological and resilient agricultural practices for ecosystem protection.
Moreover, their vision of co-creation and co-building a sustainable society is what sparked my interest in becoming part of the team. I believe that the visibility and participation of the most vulnerable parts are paramount to advocate for the solution to achieve a sustainable future for the people and the planet to thrive.
Giving the voice and the power to local people to decide and collaborate in plans or solutions towards sustainable development, will be crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals at a global level.
What is your WHY?
“To become an agent of change and contribute to achieving a sustainable future, it is essential to ensure human well-being through the empowerment and support of local people to safeguard their bio-cultural diversity”.
I aim to build a bridge between Ecological and Social disciplines across stakeholders and global frontiers. I want to become an agent of change and be part of the solution to our current environmental and social challenges in Africa and Latin America, especially in the Food Security field. Being part of the Food Innovation System Program led by GlocAllia has broadened my expertise in the food systems, and have connected with extraordinary people all over the world.
This project has become an opportunity to contribute to sustainable development in East Africa and that hopefully could be replicated in Latin America soon.
What do you need from the community to go the next mile?
I am looking forward to expanding my network across multiple actors with the same interests and values. I want to learn, connect and co-create with like-minded people from different parts of the world with the same objectives and goals towards sustainable development.
Who are you looking up to for inspiration?
My inspiration comes from the local indigenous communities in Mexico, the small farmers all over the world, and the people who want to be part of the solution and are acting accordingly to their values and objectives.
Why are you sharing your story? What impact are you aiming at with this?
Sharing knowledge and experiences and being able to learn from others is really what brings people to connect and to empathize with one another, which is key to building strong and efficient solutions for our sustainable future.
A deep Thanks to Sofia, for sharing her Why with us and being amongst the first to open GlocAllia’s #StartWithWhy campaign.