Ph.D. Candidate
Environmental Studies Dept, UC Santa Cruz

B.A. Biology and Anthropology, University of Virginia

Agroecology, Sustainable Food Production, Africa

My research interests lie in applying agroecological methods to investigate obstacles to food production in Eastern Africa.  I intend to research factors such as soil health and function from both an ecological and a socio-political perspective.  My goal is to gain a fuller understanding of the mechanisms that have and continue to shape modern-day agricultural systems in Eastern Africa.  Finally, such an approach will allow for a broader, more thorough analysis of the structures that may be preventing, or providing, food security and sustainability.

Research interests: agroecology, food production, Africa, savanna/forest agroecosystems, soil quality,  indigenous knowledge, political economy, environmental history.

Contact Dorothy Overpeck by email: dorothy@ucsc.edu