International development programs are often implemented with the goal of building community resilience, but without a clear articulation of how this goal will be met, or any consideration of if or why the effort was successful after it has concluded. This thesis considers three different activities implemented by the U....
Food sovereignty is increasingly being conceptualized as a human rights issue. This is evidenced in the growth of local actors, communities, and nation-states that are working towards a food sovereignty agenda. Indicators of food sovereignty center on people having the right and ability to define their food polices. One of...
Climate change increases weather unpredictability, threatens communities whose livelihoods depend on natural resources, such as rural communities. Utilizing a Community Capital Framework (Flora and Flora, 2013) and Governance of Complex Adaptive Systems (Duit and Galaz, 2008), this study concentrated on the role of cultural and political capital in supporting rural...
Nepal’s community forestry has been internationally recognized as an example of successful case of collective action. However, many scholars argue that although it has been successful in protecting forests from degradation, it has not been able to create an inclusive platform for political decision-making process. Using historical analysis, comparative case...
This thesis explores the relationships that income and housing space limitations have with regard to food security in full-time recreational vehicle (RV) households. This research used a scaled survey tool and a subset questionnaire to gather information on RV dwellers' housing and kitchen spaces along with participants' food shopping, storage,...
The diversity of attitudes held by California community college faculty about Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) was studied. In twelve semi-structured interviews, faculty informants explained how their work has changed as a result of increased standardization and accountability measures, how they value those changes, and how they expect the profession to...
This thesis explores the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at the Corvallis and Albany, Oregon Farmers' Markets and its role in food access for SNAP participants. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach combining a farmers' market survey and household interviews, the study investigated who uses SNAP at the farmers'...
The conflict over water resources exploitation and sharing in the Aral Sea Basin is one of the most pressing environmental issues yet to be resolved in Central Asia. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and establishment of the New Independent States (NIS) within the Aral Sea Bain led...
As Turkey's cultural and economic climate has experienced dramatic shifts in accordance with its changing role in global society, a neo-Ottoman movement has taken root in recent years which can offer insight into the new Turkish identity. This sociopolitical movement captures a diverse set of cultural attributes through a contemporary...
The professed economic benefits of local food systems for communities and small farmers, along with mounting recognition of the contribution of current food production practices to global climate changes has sparked growing excitement around local foods. Additionally, the growth of industrial food systems and government subsidization of corn and soy...