Understanding how different agrarian systems (e.g., different land ownership patterns, tenure forms, and modes of cultivation) shape countries’ development and individuals’ well-being is a key objective of my research. In my Ph.D. thesis, I showed that the notorious neglect of public education in Brazil and other Latin American states can be traced back to an agrarian history characterized by plantation-style agriculture.

I am particularly interested in the political and socio-environmental consequences of agrarian transformation across the Global South. Among other topics, I have investigated how large-scale land acquisitions affect local levels of social trust. We show that large-scale agricultural investments disrupt social fabrics by reducing interpersonal trust.

Another major focus of my work is climate change mitigation and adaptation. We have analyzed how agroecological practices—farming methods that prioritize biodiversity and sustainability—and the use of traditional crops can enhance food security for farmers facing droughts and floods in Tanzania. Additionally, by examining historical data on food riots in England across several centuries, we uncovered evidence of diverse adaptation processes to climate shocks. More recently, my research has shown how cropland expansion, particularly when combined with climate change, exacerbates pastoralist violence in sub-Saharan Africa.

My current projects explore pathways to strengthen socio-ecological resilience and promote sustainable development. These include investigating how empowering women through land rights and leveraging traditional political institutions can foster both social and environmental resilience. For more information on these and other ongoing studies, please visit the Work in Progress section of this website.