My Story
Hi, I am Caro Cordova, an agroecologist who specializes in soil health and ecosystem processes, with experience working in the United States and Latin America. Recently moved from the Great Lakes to the Great Plains to work for and with Nebraska farmers. Teaming up with a diverse group of researchers, stakeholders, and practitioners to build resilient farms and improve Nebraska soil health.
Currently, I am an Assistant Professor and Soil Health Specialist at the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and an active member of the Long-term Agroecosystems Research Network (ARS-USDA).
My research/extension work aims to conceptually and experimentally unite soil health and the sustainable intensification of agriculture while studying mechanisms to increase carbon sequestration and reduce farmer reliance on synthetic fertilizers. I strive to integrate agroecological principles, biogeochemistry, and modeling in my research and teaching to understand soil-plant-atmosphere interactions in important agricultural settings across temporal and spatial scales. Ag settings range from low-input and high diversity (e.g., forest, perennial grasses) to contrasting field cropping systems (e.g., cash crops).
I am also keenly interested in culture, inclusion, and diversity in the academic work environment. I do believe that soil science is another type of art that speaks through plants.
Like you, I am deeply concerned about climate change, and environmental and social justice. All Spring semesters, I teach Agroecology (PLAS/NRES 435, AGRO/NRES 835), and sometime in the future, I will teach another cross-listed class that revolves around Soil Health (TBD).