Andrew Feher Humanities and Social Science
The Politics of Meat Regulation: An Examination of Californias Small-Scale Ranches
In an era of globalization where food travels through tortuous production chains before arriving at its destination, too little attention has been given to government regulation. The question driving my research is how do small-scale California farmers involved in rearing animals respond to different forms of government regulation? Given that questions broad scope, I will bifurcate it along two lines: one related to production and one related to political mobilization. On the production side, I am interested in understanding how small-scale farmers adjust production based on various regulations. The political question centers on whether small-scale farmers can solve the collective action problem and mobilize when watershed legislation appears in the legislature.
Message To Sponsor
After sitting through numerous courses that treated agriculture as an afterthought, I now have the opportunity, thanks to the SURF program, to devote all summer to my agrarian research project. SURFs grant enables me to spend several weeks traveling throughout California, interviewing ranch owners. Working with Professor Leo Arriola, my indefatigable faculty mentor, is a certified pleasure as he offers his support and advice at every step in the research process.