Walter Alberto Pengue is an Agricultural Engineer, with a specialization in Plant Genetic Improvement (Plant Breeding) from the University of Buenos Aires. At the same University he obtained his Master’s degree in Environmental and Territorial Policies. His PhD was done at the School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineers at the University of Córdoba (Spain) in Agroecology, Sociology and Sustainable Rural Development. He carried out postdoctoral stays at the Universities of Tromso (Norway) and at the University of Canterbury (New Zealand).

Walter Pengue is Full Professor of Ecological Economics and Agroecology at the National University General Sarmiento (UNGS) and Director of the Landscape and Environmental Ecology Group (GEPAMA) at the University of Buenos Aires (FADU UBA).

He is the founder and former president of the Argentine and Uruguayan Society for Ecological Economics (ASAUEE) and was a member of the world board of the ISEE (International Society for Ecological Economics). He is one of the founders of SOCLA, the Latin American Scientific Society for Agroecology, for which he currently chairs the Ethics Committee. Walter Pengue has more than 30 years of experience in researching the environmental and socio-economic impacts of industrial agriculture, transgenic agriculture and the food system at national, regional and global levels and their relationship with the use of natural resources (soil, water, genetic resources). International expert, reviewer, lead author and coordinator of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services IPBES (since 2019) and the United Nations Environmental Resource Panel (2007 to 2015). He was lead author of IPCC Round 6 (2019/2022). He is currently Coordinating Leading author in the IPBES Nexus project (2021 to 2025), which conducts thematic analyses of the interrelationship between food systems, biodiversity, health, water and climate change. He is also a member of the CLACSO network for agroecology in the Andes and political agroecology. Member of the Argentine Academy of Environmental Sciences and of several scientific advisory committees on sustainable development, environment, agriculture and food in Argentina. Visiting professor at universities in Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Member of the group of fundamental environmental thinkers of ECLAC, United Nations.

At HIAS, Walter Pengue is researching the topic “Food systems, natural resources, environmental awareness, land and climate change: opportunities and challenges in Latin America”. The large countries of Latin America are at a crossroads, both for themselves and for humanity: the enormous resources of land, water and geographical space in a temperate marine climate, which allows almost year-round production, opens up a scenario with new opportunities, but also enormous risks. Land for agriculture and the food industry competes with land for energy production and the expansion of cities, ports and other infrastructure – under the influence of international financial capital. At the same time, important global research is being carried out to understand the relationship between water, energy, climate change, health and food systems. It is striking that “land” as an element has so far been little included in these studies. It seems that Latin America will once again play the role of a major supplier of land to meet global demand – especially that of the developed world, China and India.

Walter Pengue examines how this change in land use in the region affects the other resources involved (water, energy, biodiversity). New concepts are also included that go beyond the economic externalities, such as intangible and invisible environmental aspects that assess not only the ecosystem services provided by sustainable agriculture, but also the holistic value that agriculture provides to society. Finally, the impact of geopolitical choices will be examined, in Europe for example in the form of the “From farm to fork” project, or in China the growing demand for food for a population that is changing its consumption habits and aspirations. The question of concern for the protection of ecological and social variables in the countries of origin of the resources and products in demand is central to this.

Walter Pengue’s fellowship is funded by the Joachim Herz Foundation.