Esther Vivas is an activist in a variety of social movements in Barcelona. She has participated in anti-globalization campaigns, campaigns against external debt, in favour of food sovereignty and critical consumption, against climate change, and in various editions of the World Social Forum and the European Social Forum.
She belongs to the editorial board of the magazine Viento Sur.
She is a member of the Centre of Studies about Social Movements (CEMS) at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Her main research areas are the analysis of the social and environmental impacts of the dominant agro-industrial model, the alternatives to this model, as well as the study of social movements.