Research Interests
- Rural Development
- Environmental Justice
- Women in agriculture and the environment
- Social dimensions of sustainable agriculture
- Latin American studies
Education
- PhD. Community Sustainability. Michigan State University, 2024
- M.S. Sociology, Universidad del Valle, Colombia, 2016
- B.Sc. Sociology, Universidad del Valle, Colombia, 2012
Additional Campus Affiliations
Assistant Professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
External Links
Recent Publications
Garcia Otero, M. A. (2026). Pathways for Contesting Gender Norms in RuralDevelopment: A Case Study in Colombia. Rural Sociology, 91(4), 1. https://doi-org.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/10.1111/ruso.70073
Gerard, A., García, M. A., Lopez, M. C., Bizoza, A., & Vuguziga, B. (2025). Understanding female household heads’ barriers to profiting from coffee in Southern Rwanda. Journal of Eastern African Studies, 19(3), 409-430. https://doi.org/10.1080/17531055.2025.2605718
Correa-Salazar, C., Marín-Carvajal, I., García, M. A., Fox, K., & Chilton, M. (2024). Earth Rights for the Advancement of a Planetary Health Agenda. Health Education and Behavior, 51(6), 787-795. https://doi.org/10.1177/10901981241232642
García, M. A., Mayer, A., Cavallini Johansen, I., Lopez, M. C., & Moran, E. F. (2024). Spatial injustice to energy access in the shadow of hydropower in Brazil. World Development, 178, Article 106570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2024.106570
Castro-Diaz, L., García, M. A., Villamayor-Tomas, S., & Lopez, M. C. (2023). Impacts of hydropower development on locals’ livelihoods in the Global South. World Development, 169, Article 106285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2023.106285