Trained in tropical and subtropical agriculture, international development, humanities and business, Martin entered the world of the social economy in the early 90’s, working on community agroforestry systems with marginalized small farmers in post-civil war context of El Salvador. He served for a dozen years as a cooperative developer in Quebec’s CDR network and for 20 years with different worker and farmer owned alternative trade co-opératives such as La Siembra, Equal Exchange and SPP Global. More recently he served as executive Director of C.I.T.I.E.S. an international knowledge and innovation transfer center on the social economy. He is currently involved within the Fab City and Fibershed movements and with his community in Ripon, Québec, creating a bioregional cooperative food, textile and cultural hub. He also is a co-observer / advisor for CWCF at CICOPA Americas and a lecturer on innovation and social economy at the International University of Andalucía (UNIA). He is also special advisor to des forêts et des gens co-operative, which has been dedicated to the protection of forest and biodiversity for over 12 years.