Interdisciplinary Research Training for Undergraduates:
Crop Diversity and Food and Income Security in East Africa

The University of Vermont is excited to be the host institution for the NSF-sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site Geographic, Socio-economic, and Cultural Factors Shaping Crop Diversity and Livelihood Outcomes in East Africa.

Each summer from 2021-2023 eight undergraduate students from U.S. institutions representing diverse backgrounds will be provided the opportunity to conduct path-breaking interdisciplinary research on the links between crop diversity – at local and regional scales – and livelihood outcomes among smallholder farm households in East Africa.

  • Program Description

    The goal of this REU is to provide an engaging, rigorous, and inspiring interdisciplinary research and educational experience for selected U.S. students, preparing them for graduate and/or professional work in international development, applied economics, sociology, demography, public policy and related fields. Participants will develop and apply social science and STEM research methods, with instruction and training in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), statistical analysis of large farm/household datasets, and hand-on field research spanning disciplines from applied economics and rural sociology to agro-ecology, plant sciences, demography and nutrition.

    This REU Site seeks to contribute to active debates around how production of diverse crops relates to food and income security. Ugandan farmers cultivate an extraordinary diversity of crops, including hundreds of varieties of beans, bananas, and other staple and specialty food crops. Student projects will link newly available geospatial datasets and large household survey datasets on crop diversity, climate patterns, and farm livelihood outcomes (nutrition, health), as well as primary data collected with partners in East Africa. Results will be shared widely through meetings of community partners, co-authored student publications, and student participation in professional conferences.

    Download the 2023 REU Site at UVM Program Announcement

    Apply to the 2023 REU Site at UVM

Program Details and Application Instructions

Eligibility

  • The University of Vermont Summer REU Site is open to current, full-time undergraduate students from all U.S. institutions – including 2-year and community colleges, and all private and public colleges and universities.
  • Past experience in social or ecological field research is not required, although some specific projects may require students to have coursework experience in statistics, agricultural / ecological sciences, or related fields.
  • Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or Resident Aliens at the time of application and throughout the duration of the Summer REU Site program, and must possess or obtain a passport valid through February 2024.
  • Students from under-represented/served groups in STEM sciences, students from low socioeconomic experiences, and students from institutions with limited or unavailable research opportunities are particularly encouraged to apply for this opportunity.
  • Students must be available between June 13 and August 8, 2023 for the face-to-face portion of the program, and may not be enrolled in other coursework or have employment responsibilities during the eight weeks of the face-to-face program.
  • Applicants must be a respectful visitor in a foreign country and an engaged member of a research team.
  • Per NSF rules, students who have received their bachelor’s degrees and are no longer enrolled as undergraduates at the time of the Summer program are not eligible to participate (http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf07569/nsf07569.htm#elig).

Accommodations

  • Students who are selected to participate will receive a generous stipend and additional financial assistance covering transportation, housing, and meals during the 8-week summer program
  • During the training program in Vermont, students will visit local agricultural centers including Shelburne Farms, Philo Ridge Farm, Abenaki heritage sites, and other rural agricultural enterprises including PI Reynolds’ own 600-acre maple syrup and beef family farm in the small town of Stannard (population ~120; pavement = 0)
  • Applied research in Summer 2023 will be based at the University of Vermont with travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina to participate in the 27th Annual Meeting of the International Conference on Applied Bioeconomy Research (ICABR). 

Program Schedule

Below is an approximate schedule for the 2023 Summer REU Site program at the University of Vermont:

DateActivity
Late AprilAttend the online University of Vermont Student Research Conference and e-meet fellow REU Site Participants, program faculty, and international partners
June 13Welcome and orientation to the Summer 2023 REU Site program at the University of Vermont
June 14-30Research and cultural training at the University of Vermont and the Rian Fried Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at Sterling College in Craftsbury, VT, working remotely with our partners in Uganda; Develop research proposals with project partners in East Africa
July 1-2Midsummer Camping Trip
July 2 -10Research program working with project partners;
Travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina to participate in the 27th Annual Meeting of the International Conference on Applied Bioeconomy Research (ICABR)
July 11 - August 8Finalize summer projects; develop research and results sharing plan

A detailed itinerary will be provided in advance of travel.

Application Instructions

Application requirements via the online application include:

  • Two letters of reference, at least one from a faculty member and the other from any faculty or employer familiar with your work; we encourage you to request letters early via the online letter request form;
  • A complete resume of your educational, employment and volunteer work experiences;
  • Information from your official or unofficial transcript, including school contact information and grades for relevant coursework; and
  • An up to 500-word essay describing your interest in the Summer REU Site at the University of Vermont and how the program will contribute to your educational and professional goals.

Detailed application instructions including the application essay prompt are available on page 1 of the online application. Early submission is encouraged. Applications received by February 28th will receive full consideration.

Faculty Profiles

Travis W. Reynolds, Ph.D.

An Associate Professor of Community Development and Applied Economics (CDAE) at the University of Vermont, Dr. Reynolds' research areas include institutional economics, agricultural development, and payments for environmental services, with an emphasis on the links between agriculture, food security, community governance institutions and the environment.

He has been involved in environmental and food systems research and community outreach activities in East Africa since 2007, including working with U.S. undergraduate students and local collaborators to conduct interviews and surveys exploring formal and informal insitutions governing resource access and use. These fieldwork activities are complemented by lab-based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) research and analysis of large-scale farm-household survey datasets including the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study - Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA).

Daniel Tobin, Ph.D.

Dr. Daniel Tobin is an Associate Professor in CDAE, and holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Extension Education and International Agriculture and Development from The Pennsylvania State University. His research applies rural sociological theory and methods to understand how small farmers respond to external environmental and institutional factors with specific focus on livelihoods, crop diversity conservation, and market-oriented development.

 

 

Gloria Otieno, Ph.D.

Dr. Gloria Otieno is a senior researcher and staff lead based in Bioversity International’s East Africa headquarters in Kampala, Uganda. A Kenyan national, Dr. Otieno has conducted research on rural seed systems in East Africa for over a decade, and has a broad network of agricultural development research collaborators from across the CGIAR Consortium.

 

 

 

Jeff Richardson, Ph.D.

Dr. Jeff Richardson is a faculty member in Sustainable Agriculture at Sterling college and holds a Ph.D. in Forest Ecology, Remote Sensing, and Renewable Energy from the University of Washington. His research takes an interdisciplinary approach to ecology, renewable energy, indigenous societies, and remote sensing and geospatial analysis. 

 

Kristal Jones, Ph.D.

Dr. Kristal Jones is an Assistant Research Scientist at SESYNC and holds a dual-title Ph.D. in Rural Sociology and International Agriculture and Development from The Pennsylvania State University. Her research uses mixed methodologies to analyze the human-environment interactions present in agricultural production, and to identify the impacts of cross-scalar changes and perturbations to the social and ecological foundations of food systems.

 

 

Tony Vanwinkle, Ph.D.

Dr. Tony VanWinkle is the former Director of the Rian Fried Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at Sterling College in Craftsbury, VT and holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Tennessee. His research centers on the intersections of seed systems, subsistence technologies, and the socio-ecological systems in which these are embedded.

 

 

 

Jane Kolodinsky, Ph.D.

Dr. Jane Kolodinsky is Professor and Chair of CDAE and Interim Associate Dean for Research at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at UVM, and holds a Ph.D. in Consumer Economics from Cornell University. She has been researching and exploring controversial food system policy issues including prices of sugar sweetened beverages, the economics of information related to the labeling of foods produced using genetic modification, and the use of subsidies to increase fresh food access for families with limited resources.

 

 

Yolanda Chen, Ph.D.

Dr. Yolanda Chen is a Professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science, and holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley. She studies and publishes widely on the ecology and evolution of insects within agroecosystems to seek insight on how to “farm with nature” within a globalized world.

 

 

 

Asim Zia, Ph.D.

Dr. Asim Zia is a Professor of CDAE and Computer Science, and holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His extensive expertise includes spatial analysis and modeling, computational policy analysis, governance networks, social ecological systems, coupled natural and human systems, sustainable development, food, energy and water systems.

 

 

 

Brian Thiede, Ph.D.

An Associate Professor of Rural Sociology, Sociology, and Demography at Penn State, Dr. Brian Thiede examines the relationship between environmental change, demographic behavior, and economic development, primarily in low- and middle-income countries. Current projects examine the effect of climate shocks on internal migration and livelihoods.

 

 

 

Eric Bishop von Wettberg, Ph.D.

Dr. Eric Bishop von Wettburg is a Professor of Plant & Soil Sciences, and holds a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Brown University. He provides expertise in evolutionary ecology, symbiosis, climate resilient agriculture, crop domestication, and crop wild relatives.

 

 

 

REU Graduate Assistants

Emily Schalkham

Emily Schalkham is the graduate coordinator for the Summer 2023 NSF REU Site. A graduate student in the  CDAE M.S. program, Emily has a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Sustainability Studies from Stony Brook University. Her research interests center on sustainable farming, agroecology, and STATA. 

 

 

 

Michelle Saunders

Michelle Saunders was the REU Graduate Coordinator for Summer 2021-2022. She is a graduate student in the M.S. CDAE program and has a B.S. in Animal Science with a minor in International Agriculture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests center on land tenure and land security, on-farm crop and livestock diversity, and gendered inequalities in smallholder agriculture in East Africa.

Hannah Lacasse

Hannah Lacasse has been a graduate research assistant with the REU site since summer 2021. She is a Ph.D. candidate in the Sustainable Development Policy, Economics, and Governance program at UVM and earned her M.S. in CDAE and her B.A. in Environmental Policy at Colby College. Her current research focuses on the economic implications and consumer perceptions of novel agricultural products including hemp in Vermont.

Carina Isbell

 

Carina Isbell, MS. was the REU graudate assistant summer 2021-2022. She received her Master's degree in CDAE and has a B.S. in Community & International Development with a minor in Global Studies from the University of Vermont. Her interests include agrobiodiversity conservation as a mechanism for supporting the public good, social institutions and agri-food system governance, and food justice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2023 REU Participants

Anabelle Keimach

Name: Anabelle Keimach 

Major: Global Studies and Geography

Home State: Massachusetts

Anabelle is a rising junior at the University of Vermont majoring in Global Studies and Geography. She attributes her interests in agriculture to growing up in a passionate gardening household and working at her local farm. Her other academic interests include learning about the intersections of political ecology, food sovereignty, and women’s social movements. Previously, she’s engaged in extensive community organizing and public policy work. She hopes to apply some of this knowledge to her research this summer. In her free time she enjoys playing the fiddle, making art, and discovering new outdoor adventures with friends.

Hannah Brouillard

Name: Hannah Brouillard

Major: Sustainability, Ecology, and Policy

Home State: Rhode Island

Hannah Brouillard is a student at UVM studying Sustainability, Ecology, and Policy with a minor in Community and International Development. She is interested in the way that culture shapes our view on the significance of both the environment and the concept of community, and where these two intersect. Her research interests also include conservation technology and climate resilience, particularly in global food systems. Her interests outside of academia include horses, reading, crafting, and lounging in the sun.

John King

Name: John King

Major: Agriculture Sciences

Home State: Tennessee 

John is a senior at Tennessee State University majoring in Agriculture Sciences. He is passionate about sustainable food systems and is looking forward to learning how to use GIS and gain an international perspective on agriculture. In his free time he enjoys exploring the outdoors and trying new foods. Throughout his career he hopes to make a positive impact on the world!

Ladanijirah Lightner

Name: Ladanijirah Lightner 

Major: Environmental Studies

Home State: New York

Ladanijirah is a junior majoring in Environmental Studies at SUNY ESF. She has a passion for helping people, so she enjoys addressing and researching issues around environmental justice. She has previously researched robotic boats' mechanics and operating processes that capture plastic waste in coastal areas. This piqued her interest in learning more about the relationship coastal communities have with their food systems and the implications of climate change.

Morgan Jablonski

Name: Morgan Jablonski

Major: Agroecology

Home State: New York

Morgan Jablonski is currently a first-year student at the University of Vermont pursuing a degree in Agroecology. Her interests include seed systems and food sovereignty. Last summer, she co-created and co-instructed a children’s gardening summer program where she taught about soil and plant life cycles, as well as guided crafts and cooking lessons. In her free time, Morgan enjoys spending time reading, exploring Burlington, and radio DJing.

Noorah Aldaghlas

Name: Noorah Aldaghlas

Major: Economics, Statistics

Home State: Virginia

Noorah Aldaghlas is a rising senior pursuing a degree in Economics and Statistics with a minor in Arabic at Carleton College. She is interested in the ways in which resource scarcity shapes agricultural and environmental practices, particularly water scarcity in hyper-arid regions. She looks forward to learning how to model livelihood choices and mechanisms for poverty alleviation using STATA and GIS.

Onyx Eatchel

Name: Onyx Eatchel

Major: Community Centered Design

Home State: Utah

Onyx Eatchel is majoring in Community Centered Design, as they have recently discovered that their passions related to environmental justice and community development could be put into a major. They are originally from Utah, where they discovered their interest in all things outdoors. Most of what they do is inspired by their lovely and chaotic family who have always supported them being a plant nerd and an activist.

Valorie Lam

Name: Valorie Lam

Major: Environmental Studies

Home State: Arkansas

Valorie is a junior at the University of Southern California majoring in Environmental Studies with minors in GIS and Sustainability Science and Forensics and Criminality. Her interests include environmental justice, food security, and environmental health. She plans on attending law school after graduation to affect and inform environmental policies and regulations.

2022 REU Participants

Sammy Smith

Name: Sammy Smith

Major: Environmental Studies, Sociology

Home State: Washington

Sammy Smith is a Junior at Whitman College majoring in Sociology - Environmental Studies. She has a passion for community-based and informed food systems and is particularly interested in the relationship between producers and the land in which they cultivate, and how these connections can foster continued stewardship. She is also interested in soil science, agroecology, and food sovereignty. Her passion for food systems has led her to work with community organizations in both Seattle and Walla Walla, WA, working on food justice issues, as well as farm-hand positions on two different farms in Washington State.

Clarissa Smith

Name: Clarissa Smith

Major: Environmental Studies, Political Science

Home State: Texas

Clarissa is originally from the city of Dallas, Texas. She attributes her heart for the environment to her long drives to school and landscaping father. With a major in Environmental Studies and Political Science, Clarissa has hopes to be an environmental advocate in the future. By pursuing a law degree she plans to advise businesses on the most sustainable ways to manage their companies. Her research interests are agricultural sustainability and the disparities poor and minority communities face from environmental issues. Beyond her education, Clarissa enjoys spending time with dogs and listening to good music.

Andrés Oyaga

Name: Andrés Oyaga

Major: Environmental Justice

Home State: Vermont

Andrés Oyaga is a student at Middlebury College, studying how environmental change shapes the lives of different communities. As an environmental justice major, he has gained exposure to political ecology, agroecology, and social movement theory, and is excited to bring these frameworks to his work. Specifically, he looks forward to further exploring how farmer- and worker-led agroecological movements can improve the livelihood outcomes of impacted people. In his free time, you can find him whistling, growing flowers, or going on long drives.

Miles McCallum

Name: Miles McCallum

Major: Community and International Development, Global Studies Home

State: Ohio

Miles McCallum is a rising senior at the University of Vermont pursuing a Community & International Development and Global Studies dual degree. His research interests primarily stem from Ecological Economics and International Political Economy and exploring avenues for how to shape societies and economies in a more biophysically sustainable way. He has particular interest in investigating human societies in terms of physical ecological variables, such as social metabolism, material intensity, and energy returned on energy invested.

Kai Goode

Name: Kai Goode

Major: Environmental Policy

Home State: New Hampshire

Kai is studying environmental policy at Colby College. She is interested in the particular circumstances of countries in the Global South and the impacts they face due to climate change. She is especially interested in Small Island Developing States and the ways in which they combat climate change and build resilience. She looks forward to furthering her research skills and learning how to use GIS to deepen understanding of barriers to food and sustainable development.

Isaiah Franco

Name: Isaiah Franco

Major: International Affairs, Spanish

Home State: Pennsylvania

Isaiah Franco is a Junior at Wofford College majoring in International Affairs and Spanish with a minor in Environmental Studies. He is originally from the Philadelphia area. His love for agriculture and interest in crop diversity started last fall during his time abroad in Ecuador, where he lived at an Organic Permaculture farm called Rio Muchacho. He enjoys reading and cooking, and looks forward to exploring Vermont.

Isabel Curtin

Name: Isabel Curtin

Major: Community and International Development

Home State: Massachusetts

Isabel Curtin is a senior at the University of Vermont pursuing a degree in Community and International Development with a minor in Food Systems. Last summer she interned at the Vermont Community Garden Network and continues to be involved in community-based garden initiatives. She is interested in food sovereignty and social justice and aims to work in a field that includes both of these things

Hannah Allen

Name: Hannah Allen

Major: Ecology

Home State: Vermont

Hannah Allen is a senior majoring in Ecology at Sterling College in Craftsbury, Vermont. Her studies have focused on a number of different topics including ecology, natural history, soil and plant science, and conservation biology. She is interested in remote fieldwork, research, and GIS.

2021 REU Participants

Marisa Thomas

Name: Marisa Thomas

Major: Environmental Engineering

Home State: Maryland

Marisa Thomas is a junior majoring in environmental engineering and minoring in Spanish at Johns Hopkins University. Her research in the University of Vermont NSF REU Site concerned how crop diversity decisions and market access of Ugandan smallholder farmers relates to their food security. In conducting this research, she used Stata 16.0 and ArcGIS Pro to compile and analyze household survey data collected by the World Bank Uganda National Panel Survey (2019-2020) and COVID-19 High Frequency Phone Survey (2020). In addition to this focused research, she worked with the University of Tennessee USAID Peanut Innovation Lab to look for trends in peanut growth and production among Ugandan farmers with an interest in youth and women. As a result of this program, Marisa has found a new interest in the intersection between water management and agriculture.

Katherine Morrissey

Name: Katherine Morrissey

Major: Food Systems; Nutrition and Food Sciences

Home State: Massachusetts

Katherine Morrissey is a sophomore in the Honors College at the University of Vermont. She is pursuing a major in Food Systems with a minor in Nutrition & Food Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). Katherine's research involves crop diversity, dietary diversity, and market access in sub-Saharan Africa. She is also interested in agroecology, community nutrition, and food sovereignty.

 

Audree'Auna Morris-Garrett

Name: Audree'Auna Morris-Garrett

Major: Plant Science

Home State: Georgia

Audree'Auna is pursuing a Plant Science Degree with a Biotechnology concentration at Fort Valley State University. With a horticulture background she has worked with the FVSU extension program, the Atlanta Botanical Garden and many community farms. Her research interests include urban farming, agroecology, conservation, and plant nanotechnology.

Abigail Merolle

Name: Abigail Merolle

Major: Environmental Studies

State: New York

Abigail Merolle is a senior at Florida International University where she is earning a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies as well as certificates in Biological Conservation and Agroecology. She is particularly interested in the relationship between social and climate justice and would like to work in a field that allows her to address the climate crisis and its impact through the lens of agroecology. Since completing the 2021 REU program in Vermont, Abigail continues to work with collaborators and colleagues met over the summer and hopes to have her work published.

Jennifer Beltran Gastelum

Name: Jennifer Beltran Gastelum

Major: Environmental Science and Policy

Home State: Arizona

Jennifer Beltran Gastelum is a senior at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy with a focus on environmental justice. She is deeply interested in the socio-economic conditions of smallholder farmers globally. Her research focus is youth peanut farmers in East Africa. Jen primarily uses STATA to analyze World Bank LSMS-ISA data and GIS to create data visualizations. The NSF REU Site in Vermont and Uganda prepared Jen to pursue her research as an independent study by developing her skills as a researcher and everything that entails, from collaborating with multiple project partners, writing for peer-reviewed journals, and delivering research presentations.

Angus Fraser

Name: Angus Fraser

Major: Geography; International Studies

Home State: Vermont

Angus Fraser is a senior at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, majoring in Geography and International Studies. He is interested in GIS, agroecology, and development studies, and his REU research focuses on identifying relationships between land tenure and crop diversity among Ugandan smallholder farmers. Alongside this research, Angus will be spending the year learning new techniques in data visualization and remote sensing while completing his capstone projects.

Helaina Curtin

Name: Helaina Curtin

Major: Food Systems; Community and International Development

Home State: New York

Helaina Curtin is a student at the University of Vermont, pursuing a degree in Community and International Development with a minor in Food Systems. Coming from an agricultural background, her research interests include agricultural policy, seed systems, and livelihood outcomes of smallholder farmers, specifically in the Northeastern United States and East Africa.  During her time with REU, she evaluated how policy, gender, and access to agricultural extension shapes seed sourcing among smallholder farmers in Uganda.  Helaina intends to continue this research through the rest of her undergraduate career.

Twig Boisjoli

Name: Twig Boisjoli

Major: Environmental Studies; Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

Home State: Nevada

My name is Twig Boisjoli, and my pronouns are they/them. I am a double major in Environmental Studies and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at Cottey College. Participating in this REU Site was an incredible experience - it helped me realize how much I love research and because of this I have decided to go to graduate school to eventually pursue a PhD. I also gained skills that I continue to use in my college career. I actually understand how coding works which is amazing! It has opened up so many doors for data analysis that I can now perform because of my Stata skills. I also greatly improved my GIS skills which I'm very proud of. Overall, an amazing research experience and I'm so grateful to have been a part of the 2021 REU Site team.



 
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. SMA-1950766. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
  


  
  





  

  
      
  
  
  

      


  
  



  
      
  
  


  
  



  
      
  
  
  

    
Partners in the NSF REU Site at UVM:
  • University of Vermont (UVM) Department of Community Development and Applied Economics (CDAE) 
  • The UVM Center for Rural Studies
  • The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), University of Maryland 
  • Sterling College (Craftsbury, Vermont) 
  • Pennsylvania State University (PSU) Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education (AESE)
  • USAID Peanut Innovation Lab  - the University of Tennessee
  • Bioversity International 
  


  
  



  
      
  
  
  

    
  

    REU Highlights: Research Methods and Data Analysis Training  


  

    
Participating students will engage in an intensive course in research design during the first four weeks of the program, including spatial, statistical, and qualitative social science methods. All students will receive introductory training in spatial analysis using ArcGIS software as well as an introduction to statistical analysis with Microsoft Excel and – depending on student interests and skills – either Stata or R statistical software. All trainings will have strongly applied components, allowing students to practice developing and testing research questions with real data relating to their research interests. Subsequent trainings will allow students to specialize in one or more methods in greater detail.
Selected Summer 2023 Training Sessions:
  • GIS Lab I: Principles of GIS
  • Culture & Communication I: The Research Poster
  • Demography 101: Measuring Humans
  • Stata Lab I: Welcome to the Matrix
  • Data Visualization I
  • Stata Lab II: “Whats_In_A_Name”
  • Food & Nutrition Security 101: Trends & Measures
  • From Theory to Methods: The Research Question
  • GIS Lab II: Vectors & Rasters
  • Stata Lab III: This Land Is My Land
  • GIS Lab III: Patterns over time
  • Introductory Statistics and Terminology
  • Research Ethics and IRB
  • From Research Questions to Questionnaires: Survey Design
  • Stata Lab IV: Bivariate Analysis with the WEIA
  • Research Methods: Analysis of Interview and Focus Group Data
  

  

  

    
  

    Individual Research Projects  


  

    
Throughout the training program, students will be mentored by faculty to develop independent research plans. Each student will develop a proposal under the mentorship of Senior Personnel, including a review of literature, preliminary GIS or statistical results based on existing data, and peer-tested survey protocols for new data collection. All students will present a draft proposal during the second week of the program, then incorporate peer and mentor feedback, and present a refined proposal during the third week. This extended preparation demonstrates the iterative nature of research and will allow students to observe the various methods being used by their peers.
Past Individual Research Projects:
  • Bean varietal selection among Ugandan smallholders: ​tradeoffs when adapting to climate change - Abigail Lynn Merolle
  • Land tenure and crop diversity - Angus Fraser
  • Policy, extension, and gender factors shaping seed sourcing among smallholder sarmers in Uganda - Helaina Curtin
  • Characterizing youth groundnut farmers in Uganda - Jennifer Beltran Gastelum
  • Food security and the balance between crop diversity and market access in Uganda - Marisa Thomas
  • The impact of crop diversity on dietary diversity and food security among youth smallholder farmers in Uganda - Audree’Auna Morris-Garrett
  • Markets, crop diversity, and dietary outcomes among smallholder sarmers in Uganda - Katherine Morrissey
  • The agrobiodiversity of urbanization - Twig Boisjoli
  

  

  

    
  

    Research Presentation and Publication  


  

    
Students will engage in formal final presentations of their work to local community stakeholders and university and NGO partners. Upon completion of the program, participants will present their work on their home campus, at UVM, and at regional and national meetings.
Summer 2021 Research Presentations: 
Bean varietal selection among Ugandan smallholders: perceptions of agronomic and organoleptic qualities resulting in tradeoffs - Abigail Merolle - Sustainability and Development Conference 2022
On-farm crop diversity and food security in times of crisis: Evidence from Ugandan smallholder farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic - Michelle Saunders - Sustainability and Development Conference 2022
Value chain development for youth small scale farmers: Findings from groundnut value chains in Uganda - Hannah Lacasse, Jennifer Beltran Gastelum - Sustainability and Development Conference 2022