Sofia Matsi

Driven by her deep love for the outdoors, Sofia developed an early appreciation for the unique habitats, natural ecosystems, and rich biodiversity of her homeland, Cyprus. Over the past 13 years, she has been actively engaged in a wide range of environmental initiatives across the island. Her work includes helping establish a community-led heirloom seed-saving network, teaching and promoting permaculture practices, and contributing to efforts that strengthen Cyprus’s environmental legislation. Sofia’s passion lies in advancing resilient food systems and exploring the potential of agroforestry and regenerative agriculture to address the growing challenges posed by climate change, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions.

She holds a PhD in Agroecology from the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Cyprus, where her research focused on novel intercropping systems as Nature-based Solutions for carob agroecosystems in Cyprus. Since 2021, Sofia has served as the Executive Director of the Cyprus Environment Foundation. Under her leadership, the Foundation has raised over €700,000 euros from private and corporate donors to support critical environmental initiatives throughout Cyprus