It’s time to get personal, says Sara Rodriguez ’18, a winner of summer research funding at Central College. There is great potential for developing sustainable agricultural policies that benefit Iowa’s farmers and environment, but what do farmers think? How would new policies change farmers’ lives?
Rodriguez, a communication studies major from Lenexa, Kansas, is conducting in-depth interviews with farmers across central Iowa as part of her research with professor Jim Zaffiro. She’s gathering oral histories of farmers who use conventional and sustainable methods to preserve their stories, discover their changes and challenges, hear their opinions about government policies, and understand their personal values and attitudes about farming methods.
Rodriguez says she found her passion for sustainable food systems at Central. The daughter of a Kansas City entrepreneur, she’s always loved finding opportunities where people connect across the divide between producers and consumers. Now she’s connecting through deep, personal interviews with farmers across the state — and illuminating the many ways farming methods affect their lives.
All Central’s summer researchers will present their work at a symposium on campus this year. Soon after, many also plan to take their studies to international conferences and publications to share their findings.
Read about more summer research to discover Central students’ work in taboo language, jury psychology, prairie biology and more.
