Research

current and applied research

My current research explores the politics associated with land, environment, and agricultural investment in Ethiopia through the lens of large-scale land deals. For eight years, I was also involved in applied research conducted through a company - W2E - that I co-founded in Uganda. One study examined the effects of bioslurry (a natural fertilizer that is the co-product of anaerobic digestion) on crop yields and soil quality in Uganda.

At a commercial farm in Ethiopia with an interviewee

Power, Money, and Environmental Change: Land Deals for Agricultural Investment in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is Africa's fastest-growing economy and its second most populous state. Ethnically federated, Ethiopia follows a state-led development model and although its economy is largely agrarian, industries (like textile manufacturing) that require agricultural inputs are developing at a rapid pace. At the same time, agricultural modernization is lagging, and the government has transferred millions of hectares of land to investors for commercial farming projects.

My current research explores the politics of environment and development in contemporary Ethiopia through the lens of land deals for agricultural investment. I examine how productive and non-productive land deals reconfigure the relations between the state, investors of different ethnic backgrounds and nationalities, and natural resources. Methodologically, I draw on 19 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Ethiopia, more than 100 interviews with key informants, extended case study in 8 regional states, and document analysis.

Broadly, my scholarship contributes to better understanding of the mechanisms by which: politics of food and water in Africa contribute to state fragility; states mediate economic land concessions; large multi-ethnic democracies balance competing neopatrimonial and developmental interests in the environment; land governance perpetuates environmental racism; foreign investors negotiate in post-socialist states; diverse national capitalist classes develop in Africa.

Measuring maize leaves in Uganda with Josephat, a research partner

Quantifying Bioslurry's Impacts on Maize Yields and Soil Quality

My applied research is derived from collaborating with American and Ugandan PhD students to co-found W2E, a social enterprise in the waste-to-energy and agricultural innovation sector in Uganda.

Our applied research company conducted research on the microbiological, air quality, agronomic, and technological/social/business innovation aspects of biogas systems, which use anaerobic digestion to transform organic waste into methane and bioslurry (a natural fertilizer and soil amendment) .

The study that I most closely led looked at maize yield and soil nutrient effects of bioslurry application in central Uganda. Using agronomic methods and quantitative analysis, we demonstrated at a Ugandan field site that bioslurry consistently produces higher maize yields and higher organic matter in the soil than chemical fertilizer applied at higher nitrogen concentrations.

Future Research

For my next book project, I will continue exploring intersections of environment, development, and entrepreneurship in Africa through a project exploring “Afro-sustainabilities” and environmental and climate justice in urban centers on the continent. In the twenty-first century, Africans will face two profound environmental, social, and economic transformations – very high rates of urbanization and climate change. Already, African laypeople, architects, entrepreneurs, business owners, city planners, and creatives have been developing and inventing “green” transportation fuels, sustainable materials for and methods of home and building construction, and new ways to transform waste into useful products in urban areas. At the same time, people and institutions on the continent are battling twin legacies of racism and colonialism that delegitimize African knowledge production and solutions to global problems.

In Africa’s urban centers, I will explore three questions. How are Africans advancing s vision of what might be called “Afro-sustainabilities?” What indigenous forms of knowledge and knowledge production around sustainability are being brought to bear on environmental and climate challenges on the continent? And lastly, what are the conjunctures and disjunctures between “Afro-sustainabilities” and environmental and climate justice? For the last question, I will consider two levels of analysis. First, within African urban centers, who gets to define “afro-sustainabilities” and what does that mean for environmental and climate justice? For instance, are low-income people, residents of informal settlements, and people with disabilities – all of whom are most negatively affected by climate change – able to contribute their talents, inventions, and voices to make urban centers more sustainable? Second, at a global level, what kind of financing is available to Africans to advance their vision of “Afro-sustainabilities?” How do philanthro-capitalist organizations and investors respond to environmental/climate innovations from Africa?

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