Viridiana Alcantara-Shivapatham

As Manager, Agriculture Innovation, Viridiana leads and supports the development and implementation of new VCS agricultural methodologies, and explores opportunities to promote regenerative agriculture within Verra’s other frameworks. In this role, she provides technical guidance to Program Management Team colleagues and users of Verra programs in the agriculture sector, including emerging MRV technologies and approaches.

Prior to joining Verra, Viridiana supported the international “4 per 1000” Initiative on soils for food security and climate in her function as Desk Officer at the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food in Germany. Before that, she worked at FAO in Rome as Land and Water Officer. Here, she supported the Global Soil Partnership and further projects on sustainable soil management around the world. Viridiana also worked at Thuenen Institute for Climate-Smart Agriculture, where she led a three-year research project on carbon sequestration in forest and cropland subsoils.

Viridiana holds a Ph.D. in soil science and a Diploma (the German equivalent of Master of Science) in Geo-ecology. Viridiana is originally from Mexico City and is currently based close to Bonn, Germany. Viridiana speaks Spanish, German, English, conversational French, and basic Italian. As a happy mother of three, she has an urgent interest in contributing to solutions to the environmental crises of our time.