Prof. Erin Silva is an Associate Professor and State Extension Specialist in Organic and Sustainable Cropping Systems in the Department of Plant Pathology, as well as the Director for the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW-Madison. After completing her PhD in Horticulture at Washington State University, she obtained a faculty position at New Mexico State University. During her tenure at NMSU, Dr. Silva taught courses on organic vegetable production, an experiential learning course integrating the working student organic Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm on campus. Dr. Silva initiated several organic research projects at NMSU, including work on cover-crop-based reduced tillage for organic vegetable crops and breeding vegetables for organic production systems. These research themes continued as Dr. Silva moved into the first organic-focused research position at the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences in 2006. Through her work at UW-Madison, she has developed an internationally recognized program that improves the management of organic production systems and increases the profitability and sustainability for organic producers and rural communities. Her research program provides regional, national, and international leadership on the biological aspects of organic agricultural management, employing an agroecological approach that considers socio-economic factors impacting production decisions.
