He obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from Wye College (University of London) (1986), as well as a Master's degree in Agrarian Development from the same institution (1980), he spent a five-month stay following courses in Economics The Economics Institute at the University of Colorado , Boulder, USA (1979).
He is a graduate of the Autonomous University of Mexico where he studied economics, graduating with honorable mention in 1975.
In his academic performance, he has been a professor in Economics of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, Agricultural Economics and Agrarian Structure in Mexico. He is also a member of the Mexican Academy of Political Economy, Researcher of the National System of Researchers of Mexico and also a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. He has been invited as a lecturer in various national and international forums.
He has held various positions in the Faculty of Economics of the UNAM and between 2002 and 2010 he was Director of the Faculty of Economics of the same university and currently serves as Secretary General of the Union of Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean.
He is the author and co-author of various books, articles, and other academic publications.
He has been distinguished with honorary doctorates by the University of Piura, Peru (2012) and by the Universidad Católica de los Ángeles de Chimbote (2011).
Honored as Honorary Professor at Le Cordon Blue University in the city of Lima, Peru on August 14, 2013.