Collaborative Research: AOC: Reconceptualizing the Genesis of Change in Rural African Societies: Exploratory Research on the Co-Production of Land Use and Livelihood Change

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This award is one of three collaborative awards for a project that supports social scientists from three U.S. universities (West Virginia University, the University of South Carolina, and Oregon State University) to partner with collaborators at the University of Malawi to study exactly how land use changes contribute to livelihood systems, and vice-versa, in Malawi, a developing African country. Natural resources are an essential component of the livelihood systems of poor people. Across the globe, human use of such resources is increasing rapidly with very little understanding of how this affects poverty levels. The central objective of the research is to test the hypothesis that land use and livelihood changes are co-produced, that is, deliberative decisions relating to both are made simultaneously, rather than in a driver-feedback manner as has often been suggested. The researchers will implement a diverse range of methods including field-based surveys, household economic modeling, and geographic information systems. The research outcomes will include a dataset of household interviews, maps of land use and land cover change, and empirical evidence relating to the project?s main hypotheses. The U.S. scientists will engage their foreign collaborators through both official university linkages and personal, long-standing, working relationships. The PI and Co-PIs will donate their time to teach courses at the University of Malawi. This research will provide direct educational experience for up to four U.S. university students to travel to Malawi to engage in scientific fieldwork. Indirectly, many other students will benefit from videos and project-related information presented in classes by the four professors. This project will inform policy makers on poverty and natural resources issues, focusing on how change in one affects change in the other. The project outcomes can then be used by policy makers in many developing countries as they develop strategies to alleviate such issues as poverty, AIDS, and the impact of climate changes on local populations.