Geography Ph.D. student John Connors left for Tanzania this week to begin fieldwork for his dissertation. John's research explores how perceptions of ecosystem services shape food security programs and affect land change in Central Tanzania. During the first two months abroad, John will study Swahili as part of a Boren fellowship. After completing his language study, John will spend 5 more months gathering data and conducting interviews with farmers and development program representatives.
This research is also funded by a Borlaug Fellowship for global food security and a Melvin Marcus fieldwork scholarship.
Connors' research will examine the social and environmental impacts of a large scale agricultural development program known as Kilimo Kwanzaa. During his six months abroad, John will conduct interviews with rural households and gather ground data for remote sensing analysis. The research seeks to understand how rural communities use forest resources to improve food security, and how changes in agricultural policies may impact these strategies.