I study social justice in food and agriculture using methods that produce situated and actionable knowledge. Specifically, I investigate: (1) rural livelihoods, identities, and capacities; (2) sustainability standards and certifications; and (3) stakeholder participation in research and practice.

My work informs scholarship in two key ways. First, as a development sociologist, I reunite social theory with empirical inquiry by engaging multi-paradigmatic frameworks for research and analysis. This strategy enables me to unpack the relationship between structure and agency, differentiate between sources of conflict and cohesion, and clarify the challenges and prospects of market-based sustainability. Second, I employ the principles of feminist praxis to uncover ethical issues related to epistemology and power and improve methods for engagement.

In 2010, I worked with small-scale farmers to co-develop a participatory research, training, and networking initiative in South Africa. At that time, I conducted ethnographic fieldwork with a team of community-based farmer leaders, generating in-depth understanding of the issues facing producers in rural coloured (mixed race) areas, including challenges with Fairtrade and organic market access. Our engagement resulted in a ‘participatory commodity networking’ approach to Fairtrade producer support.

I have worked in a variety of development contexts and retain an interest in post-authoritarian societies. Apart from my research in post-apartheid South Africa, I have spent significant time in post-Soviet Latvia where I developed a nationally accredited teacher training program as a Peace Corps Volunteer then returned under a Fulbright grant to examine the impacts of European integration on Latvia's local food movement. More broadly, I have consulted on Fairtrade charcoal standards in Namibia, evaluated rural income generation activities in Northern Ghana, and helped launch UNESCO's global EDUCAIDS initiative to coordinate educational responses to HIV and AIDS.