West African agriculture and climate adaptation, agroecology, political ecology, remote sensing
Research Synopsis
For my Master's thesis, I will continue the research I began in my undergrad on reforestation development projects in the Sahel, their interactions with local shareholders, and their actual efficacy in alleviating desertification, poverty, and hunger. In particular, I focused on the Great Green Wall (GGW), an 8,000 km long and 15km wide wall of trees meant to halt desertification in its tracks and increase resilience of the Sahel to climate change, famine, and drought. I would like to mix and marry quantitative data gathered through remote sensing and presented via GIS with qualitative field research to give a full picture of the GGW and reforestation development dynamics.
