“My vocation as a professor is born from the desire to learn alongside communities and to contribute to processes of social transformation through knowledge. Teaching allows me to conduct research in real contexts, share knowledge, and build collective proposals with teams committed to rural development. Teaching is not only about transmitting information; it is about creating spaces for dialogue, analysis, and joint creation. It is about sowing hope in new generations who want to stay and transform their territories,” Professor Mónica affirms with conviction.

Thanks to this particular vision, Unicauca became a key piece in the process of opening the Agroecological Engineering program at the Santander de Quilichao campus of the University of Cauca, since, as she herself points out, “This program was born from a research process linked to the creation of the Center for Research, Promotion, and Social Innovation for the Development of Cauca Coffee-Growing (Caficultura). We identified the need for an academic proposal that would respond to the challenges of family-based productive systems, the conservation of natural assets, and the strengthening of regional economies.”

And since the natural question that may arise is, “What is Agroecological Engineering?”, here is the answer. It is an educational initiative designed to accompany rural and urban youth in building a fairer, more sustainable agri-food model rooted in territorial knowledge. “We seek to provide training that allows young people to find new meanings in rural life. That they can recognize themselves as key actors in the care of natural assets, the production of healthy food, and the strengthening of their local economies. This program offers tools to integrate technical knowledge with community-based knowledge, designing productive strategies with environmental, social, and economic purpose. It is an invitation to imagine new ways of inhabiting and caring for our territories,” Professor Mónica assures.