Dan Baker is an Assistant Professor of Community and International Development in the Department of Community Development & Applied Economics at the University of Vermont. Dan is an engaged scholar that utilizes a community-based action approach, where community members work as partners with university and technical staff in designing, implementing and evaluating projects. This research has been disseminated in peer-review journals, community forums, conferences and web publications. Dan’s teaching takes place in both the classroom and the field with students, community partners, non-profits and governmental institutions.

For more than 10 years he has worked in rural Honduras working on projects ranging from appropriate technology transfer to a series of water infrastructure projects. In 2000, Dan created a semester-long course that prepares students for a service-learning trip to Honduras to work on these projects and gain hands-on community development experience.

In addition to his work in Honduras, Dan is also involved in community planning in Vermont. Through the Vermont Mobile Home Park Research Collaborative, he and his team have worked extensively with mobile home park issues. In 2010, the group received a three-year research grant to increase the resilience to disasters among mobile home park communities in Vermont.

As an early advocate of service-learning, one of his greatest accomplishments have been the students he has provided with meaningful project-based learning experiences. He strives to encourage students to develop critical thinking skills, the discipline to engage in complex problems, and the cultivation of hope in a challenging world. Many of Dan’s students have received honors for their work with him.

Dan earned his Ph.D in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont with a certificate in Ecological Economics. In 2010 he received the Vermont Campus Compact's Community Partnership Award. Recently, he received the 2012 North American College & Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Teaching Award of Merit. He lives in Starksboro, Vermont where he runs a maple sugaring business with his family and friends.

Courses Taught

CDAE 002: World Food, Population, and Sustainable Development

CDAE 171 SL: Community and Internatial Economic Transformation

CDAE 273 SL: Project Development and Planning

Current Projects

Vermont Mobile Home Park Research Collaborative

In 2010, Dr. Baker and his team received a three-year research grant from the USDA's Disaster Resilience for Rural Communities Program to investigate the vulnerabilities of Vermont's mobile home parks and develop resources for increasing the resilience of these unique communities.

Honduras Projects

Since 2000, Dan Baker has been bringing students to Honduras to work on a variety of integrated Community Development project including appropriate technology for small-scale sugar producers, water systems planning and implementation, womens small business, womens self defense, elementary education, and ecotourism.

Recent Publications

Academic Journal Articles

• Baker, D., Chappelle, D. (2012). Health Status and Needs of Migrant Farm Workers in Vermont. Journal of Agromedicine.
• Baker, D., Chappelle, D. (2012). In Vermont, Se Habla Español. Experiences In Occupational Spanish Instruction. Journal of Extension.
• Baker, D., Hamshaw, K., Beach, C. (2011). Facilitating Change in Rural Mobile Home Parks: A Collaborative Action Research Approach. Journal of Rural and Community Development.
• Baker, D., K. Hamshaw, J. Kolodinsky, (2009). Who Shops at the Market? Using Consumer Surveys to Grow Farmers’ Markets: Findings from a Regional Market in Northwestern Vermont. Journal of Extension.
• Baker, D., Kolodinsky, J., Koliba, C., McMahon, N., Patterson, T. (2009). Moving Toward a Transdisciplinary Approach in the Land Grant System. NACTA Journal. North American College and Teachers of Agriculture.
• Baker, D., Refsgaard, K., (2007). Institutional Development and Scale-Matching in Disaster Response Management. Journal of Ecological Economics.
• Baker, D., Farley, J., Koliba, C. (2007). Opening the Policy Window for Ecological Economics: Katrina as a Focusing Event. Journal of Ecological Economics.
• Baker, D. (2006). Ecological Development Through Service-Learning. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. v.11 n.1 p.145-159
• Baker, D. (1999). Diversifying an Organic Grain System: Spring Wheat and Edible Bean Variety Trials. Results published in Northeast SARE “Innovations”.
• Baker, D., Altemose, C., Senesac, J. (1998). Forage Soybean and Corn Research Trial, UVM Crops, University of Vermont.

Honors and Awards

• 2013 Carrigan Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and Advising
• 2012 North American College & Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Teaching Award of Merit.
• 2010 Vermont Campus Compact's 2010 Campus/Community Partnership Award.
• 2006 Outstanding Service-Learning Faculty Award for “excellence and innovation providing service-learning that supports students and the community” - UVM Office of Community-University Partnerships Service-Learning.
• 2003 Kroepsch-Maurice Excellence in Teaching Award.
• 2000 Vermont Land Trust’s Richard W. Corbin Community Conservation Award.

Links and Articles

• Sugar Technology Goes South (by Jeff Wakefield on July 21, 2004)
• A Learning Journey (by Cheryl Dorschner on September 30, 2003)
• Steady Flow (by Jon Reidel on September 18, 2007)
• Trading Places: International Partners Plan Next Visits by Cheryl Dorschner

Faculty Directory

• Jane Kolodinsky, Chair
• Lisa Aultman-Hall
• Jay Ashman
• Daniel Baker
• David Conner
• Chris Evans
• Joshua Farley
• Charles Ferreira
• Diane Gayer
• Sarah Heiss Elek
• Shoshanah Inwood
• Christopher Koliba
• Jonathan Leonard
• Chyi-Lyi (Kathleen) Liang
• Edward McMahon
• Bob Parsons
• Thomas Patterson
• Jane Petrillo
• Fred Schmidt
• Tao Sun
• Qingbin Wang
• Richard Watts
• Asim Zia