Geography and Environmental Systems

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An example of research created by our Geography and Environmental Systems (GES) Cohort:
“The Second Green Revolution in Africa: An Assessment of its Sustainability”
Louise Djapgne
Senior Lecturer Marie Deverneil

The Green Revolution

This research was conducted in order to discover the effects of the Green Revolution on peoples lives and the environment in Africa. The post-war development agenda of the Truman administration led to what became known as the First Green Revolution, relying on modern technology in agriculture to improve crop yields. The negative impacts of the First Green Revolution on biodiversity and the environment, as well as its failure to address the specific needs of the targeted countries, have been well documented. Yet, today, American foundations and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) are proposing to implement a Second Green Revolution in Africa to resolve the crops crisis of the less developed countries. The proposed New Green Revolution will have a significant impact on the Sub-Saharan countries like Tanzania that have already been affected by the structural adjustments programs of both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This study analyzed both the impacts of the First Green Revolution and the projected outcomes of the New Green Revolution in Africa-Tanzania. It was found that petroleum-based inputs, the use of genetically modified seeds, and Western style irrigation practices would compound the problems they claim to address. This would also imply huge and unnecessary expenditures, due to the volatility of the oil industry and the yearly expenditure of seed replacement. Real solutions to the crops crisis would involve a return to traditional farming practices, already taking place in a small scale, as well as food distribution equity.

This research was funded by the Summer Research Institute (SRI) through the McNair Scholar Program at UMBC.

Meet a current student researcher:

• Ayra Hussain

Meet our research alumnae:

• Eileen Connell
• Devenna Dixon
• Madeline Hall (video)
• Clare McCauley
• Victoria Rottman
• Kristina Soetje
• Briana Yancy

Benefits for GES students:

• Work with a faculty member
• Experience hands-on research
• Reinforce classroom learning
• Prepare for work or graduate school
• Travel to national conferences
• Receive grant funding
• Publish independent research
• Spatial Analysis of the Forest Interior Breeding of Birds of the 93-Acre Research Park Site and CERA at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
  Vincent Odell, Jr. UMBC Review Vol.1.
• Interactive Effects of Bt-Active Corn on Corn Litter Decay and Detritivore Foraging in and Agricultural Stream Ecosystem.
  Lie’ Anne Van-Tull. UMBC Review Vol.6.

So, what are you doing next summer?

• Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program
• Bee Ecology
• National Science Foundation
• The Leadership Alliance
• Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology
• Pathways to Science
• Maryland Sea Grants
• UMBC Summer Research Opportunities
• Advancing Science, Serving Society
• University of Washington- AccessSTEM
• University of Massachusetts Natural Sciences
• Chicago Botanic Garden
• Lake Erie Center
• The Ecology of Human Dominated Landscapes
• Kellogg Biological Station REU
• IRIS Internship Program in Seismological Research
• Summer Research Opportunities Spreadsheet

Get started today!

Learn how to find research internships and job opportunities using Handshake!

For more information, check out this department’s website:
Geography & Environmental Systems

4/1/2024