Oswaldo Medina-Ramírez

Oswaldo Medina-Ramírez is an anthropologist - a water governance & policy researcher and practitioner. He applies interdisciplinary frameworks and mixed research methods to bridge and advance the theory and practice of environmental governance, focusing on the state's role in shaping these processes. Born and raised in Loja-Ecuador, Oswaldo has received training as an anthropologist (Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Florida – UF), development practitioner (M.A. in Sustainable Development Practice – UF), and engineer (B.Sc. in Socioeconomic Development and Environment - Zamorano University). Oswaldo's professional journey spans government, academia, and international development. He has served in multiple policy-development and leadership roles within the government of Ecuador at the Ministry of Agriculture and the Provincial Government of Loja. He has collaborated with multidisciplinary teams across the Americas, working with communities, NGOs, governments, and international organizations to co-produce knowledge and inform policy solutions. Oswaldo's field experience includes work in the U.S.A. (water insecurity), Costa Rica (water governance), Ecuador (agricultural and rural development), Honduras (Feed the Future program with USAID), Brazil (environmental governance), and Bolivia (Food security with FAO).