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Department of Sociology

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https://hdl.handle.net/10217/100508
These digital collections include theses, dissertations, faculty publications, and datasets from the Department of Sociology. Due to departmental name changes, materials from the following historical department are also included here: Sociology and Anthropology.

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Browsing Department of Sociology by Subject "agriculture"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Agricultural conservation networks in Iowa
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023-09) Luxton, India, author; Ellis, Elizabeth, author; Arnold, Parker, author; Shakya, Prasiddha, author; Lee, Juliet, author; Ravetta, Emilia, author; Toombs, Ted, author; Mook, Anne, author; Cross, Jeni, author
    Iowa's farmlands, celebrated for their remarkable agricultural productivity, are facing pressing environmental challenges, including soil erosion, waterway nitrogen pollution, and vulnerability to extreme weather events. These issues imperil the state's agricultural sector's long-term sustainability and economic stability. Despite substantial investments from governmental and non-governmental entities to encourage conservation practice use, adoption rates remain persistently low. In this report, we use quantitative, qualitative, and social network analysis on a sample of 38 farmers to understand how social networks shape their adoption of conservation practices. We analyze data through a systems framework and compare counties with high- and low-adoption of conservation practices to assess influences from the individual farmer level to the broader societal context. We conclude with a discussion of strategic implications to promote conservation adoption.
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    Demand management' and injustice in rural agricultural irrigation in western Colorado: an anatomy of ambivalence
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) MacIlroy, Kelsea E., author; Hempel, Lynn, advisor; Carolan, Michael, committee member; Malin, Stephanie, committee member; Kampf, Stephanie, committee member
    The Colorado River is overdrawn. Decisions made a century ago created an institutional framework allowing overuse while climate change has exacerbated it with increasing temperatures and reduced natural flows. 'Demand management', a key component of the 2019 Upper Basin Drought Contingency Plans, would utilize water conserved from consumptive use to create a 500,000 acre-foot storage pool, only used to protect the Upper Basin of the Colorado River in the event they were unable to meet water delivery obligation to the Lower Basin. Rural irrigators on Colorado's West Slope would be the prime contributors to such a program, but largely responded with ambivalence. Increasingly, collaborative water governance is cited as the best way to create change in water distribution. However, if rural irrigators respond with ambivalence, why would they participate voluntarily in such a program? Using a grounded theory approach, interviews and focus groups with 45 participants, and participant observation, I explore why rural irrigators were ambivalent towards a program that would, ostensibly, protect them in times of water shortage. Drawing from the concept of sociological ambivalence and the literatures of water justice, hydrosocial analysis, and rurality, I describe the symbolic and material landscape that shapes perceptions of 'demand management'. I argue irrigators were ambivalent because they understood the need for water conservation, but they also perceived injustice in terms of distribution, recognition, and representation. Since rural irrigators are the linchpin in any water conservation program that would address overuse in the Colorado River Basin, their perceptions of injustice must be addressed. Findings provide key insight into water governance as it relates to crafting effective water policy.
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    Growing diverse co-operative networks?: an examination of boundaries and openings to resilient food futures
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Hale, James W., author; Carolan, Michael, advisor; Hempel, Lynn, committee member; Malin, Stephanie, committee member; McIvor, David, committee member
    Efforts to improve connections between people, food, agriculture, and the environment abound – Community Supported Agriculture, land-sharing, school and community gardens – just to name a few. Yet, the ability of groups to work together on such projects, and pull the resources that help them thrive, varies. This is the focal point of this dissertation. Drawing on extensive field work, this research examines how food and agriculture co-operative networks diversify their resources. Through a series of papers, I demonstrate: 1) that the importance of such inquiry lies in a relational approach to resilience thinking which views resilience as the imminent potential of networks to enact diverse resources. Assuming that diversity and equity play a vital role in fueling adaptation and transformation, I pay particular attention to the socio-cultural values and interactions which create openings and boundaries to more diverse network performance. 2) Honing in on the role of frames and framing processes in community development activities, I demonstrate the vital role of cultural and symbolic values in shaping co-operative network resource access. As symbolic power becomes more concentrated, diverse resources becomes more difficult to enact. For example, the more a utilitarian frame shapes co-op member engagement, the more this can limit boundaries and openings to cultural diversity and bridging social capital. My research suggests that while sustained dialog around co-op values can help networks adapt and access more resources, it also requires additional resources which may take away from other activities. 3) While co-operation the verb is often assumed in the co-operative organizational form, my research suggests that co-operative efforts can be unco-operative in practice. By adopting an egalitarian view of co-operation, I show that decision-making can often be exclusionary, that leadership can reproduce socio-cultural inequities, and that the emotional work necessary to co-operative relationships can sometimes limit membership recruitment and engagement.
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    How social networks impact agricultural land stewardship in Iowa
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Luxton, India, author; Ellis, Ellie, author; Arnold, Parker, author; Shakya, Prasiddha, author; Lee, Juliet, author; Ravetta, Emilia, author; Toombs, Ted, author; Mook, Anne, author; Cross, Jeni, author
    Two-page summary of findings of a social network study to explore conservation practices among farmers in Iowa.
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    Invasion of the killer bee: an historical examination of governmental, agency, and beekeeper response to Africanized honeybee colonization in the southern United States
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Howard, Lahoma J., author; Taylor, Peter L., advisor; Carolan, Michael, committee member; Naug, Dhruba, committee member
    This study is an exploration of the effects that the migration of Africanized honeybees has had on the beekeeping industry in the southern U.S. The Africanized honeybee has had a disruptive effect on agriculture and beekeeping during its long migration from Brazil where it was released in 1954 to most of the southern U.S. Utilizing both historical-comparative and qualitative interview methods, an applying a theoretical framework of food regimes, technological lock-in theory, and Bourdieu's concept pf Habitus, this study explores how this bee has impacted both beekeeping and agricultural systems, and why it is such a bad fit for U.S. farming. The findings from this study help to define not just how this bee is a bad fit for farming, but also illuminates why our farming practices may be incredibly detrimental to our managed honeybee colonies upon which we depend.
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    The Fairtrade Access Fund: does linking ethical investment with Fairtrade certification enhance credit outcomes for small farmers?
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Weeks, Nefratiri, author; Raynolds, Laura, advisor; Lacy, Michael G., committee member; Bernasek, Alexandra, committee member
    The Fairtrade Access Fund is a new ethical investment fund established to work with smallholder farmer cooperatives certified or becoming certified by Fairtrade International. How does the Fairtrade Access Fund fit in with current financing schemes in the developing world? Does the Fairtrade Access Fund's connection with Fairtrade International certification and ethical finance standards enhance the important positive aspects of credit access for smallholder farmers? Does the connection with Fairtrade Standards mitigate the potential risks inherent in debt finance? My study employs an economic sociology and political economy theoretical framework. It traces the certification requirements of Fairtrade International and analyzes how they intersect with the key institutions of ethical finance in order to answer the main research questions. The research includes information on both investors and recipients of the Fairtrade Access Fund and evaluates whether the fund differs from current forms of finance already available to some smallholder farmers. In sum, my findings indicate that linking ethical finance with Fairtrade certification schemes does enhance credit outcomes for smallholder farmers. Further, Fairtrade certification works as an important mechanism of risk management for ethical lending institutions.