Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Agency: Crop Diversity and Food and Income Security in East Africa
Location: Vermont and Uganda
Closing Date: February 28, 2021
Term/Grade: Internship
Position Summary:
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.
Our REU Site program integrates social, ecological, and geospatial methods allowing students to conduct mentored research in the areas of:
• Interviews & surveys on values of crop diversity
• Network analysis of seed flows through farmer-to-farmer social networks
• Value chain analyses looking at the production, processing, and marketing of diverse food crops
• GIS analyses of land use, farm system resilience, and changes in cropping practices over time
• Multi-method analyses of relationships between local and regional crop diversity and farmer livelihood outcomes
See the complete announcement and apply here.
