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2026 Geography Honors Presentation

Geography Honors Day will be held from 12:00 to 4:30 pm on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 in the Weyerhaeuser Board Room. A reception starts at 11:30 am. Department Chair Eric Carter will provide opening remarks at 11:55 am. Presentations are 25 minutes in length with 15 minutes for questions. Names and presentations are listed in order of appearance.

Tim Delventhal

12:00 – 12:35 pm

Food Sovereignty in Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Case Study among Gardeners and Non-Gardeners in Genadendal, Western Cape

Abstract
This case study offers insights into the ability of small-scale gardening to advance community-level food sovereignty by comparing the dietary diversity outcomes, livelihood outcomes and degrees of agency between gardeners and non-gardeners in Genadendal, Western Cape, South Africa. Dietary diversity scores were statistically significantly higher for gardeners compared to non-gardeners. Despite the continued prevalence of large-scale commercial agriculture in Post-Apartheid South Africa both in practice and development discourse, small-scale gardening in Genadendal is associated with better livelihood outcomes and offers an alternative to the dominant agrarian system that has persisted into South Africa’s democratic era.

Oliver Matus-Bond

12:45 – 1:20 pm

Spatio-temporal dynamics of Melaleuca quinquenervia and its interaction with fire in southeastern Madagascar

Abstract
Invasive tree species can alter fire regimes and threaten biodiversity. We investigated the spatio-temporal dynamics of Melaleuca quinquenervia in the Agnalazaha Forest reserve, southeastern Madagascar, using Sentinel-2 imagery and Random Forest classification. In 2024, M. quinquenervia occupied 264.5 ha (11.4%) of the reserve. A binary Random Forest model trained with 2024 data and applied to 2017 and 2021 imagery showed a decline from 110.2 ha in 2017 to 99.2 ha in 2021, followed by expansion to 153.8 ha in 2024. dNBR analysis indicated that M. quinquenervia-dominated areas were about twice as likely to burn than non-invaded areas across the reserve.

Alice Gray

1:30 – 2:05 pm

Rooted in Agency: exploring the political ecology of education and dissemination of agricultural knowledge within Northwestern Tanzania’s rural primary schools

Abstract
In the United Republic of Tanzania, school farm and garden programs have been promoted to increase student attendance rates and address food insecurity. Using the case study of four primary schools near Nyamuswa, Tanzania, I explore how the technological shifts of the New Green Revolution for Africa have impacted students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards different agricultural practices. This project identifies the type of agricultural information that is taught to students and investigates the role of primary schools as a conduit for the dissemination of agricultural knowledge.

Julia Castellano

2:15 – 2:50 pm

The queer family farm: exploring agrifood justice and management philosophies among LGBTQ+ and family farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin

Abstract
Within the context of the “family farm,” a symbol of heteronormative agriculture and traditional American values, this study investigates queer farming in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Archival research and spatial analysis yielded insights into the evolution of the family farm from a national project to a model for agricultural resistance and spatial patterns of queer, alternative, and conventional farming. Then, interviews with LGBTQ+ and family farmers explore queer farmers’ efforts towards more anti-capitalist relationships with land, work, and community; differing values and challenges between queer and generational farmers; and how all small farmers affect change across the agricultural landscape.

Mara Pirone

3:00 – 3:35 pm

Blue Space as Amenity and Dis-amenity: Disparity in Interstitial Water Bodies

Abstract
Access to environmental amenities is distributed unevenly across urban areas, often due to discriminatory institutional practices such as redlining and racial covenants. Urban blue spaces (lakes, streams, rivers) can serve as either an environmental amenity or dis-amenity, depending on development and investment strategies. This paper explores how institutional racism, measured by variables such as historic redlining and racial covenant practices, shapes access to blue space as an amenity in the Twin Cities. Our results show that access to large, well-maintained, and well-invested blue space is distributed unevenly. Studying this relationship shows how cities continue to promote environmental injustice in interstitial spaces.

Ben Arnold

3:45 – 4:20 pm

COVID-19, Politicization, and Vaccine Hesitancy: A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Non-Medical Exemptions in Minnesota, 2014-2024

Abstract
MMR vaccination rates are declining due to growing parental hesitancy, reflected in rising non-medical exemptions (NMEs). While prior research identified geographic clustering and demographic predictors of NMEs, it has not addressed how COVID-19 has politicized vaccine attitudes. Using kindergarten vaccination data from 1,317 Minnesota schools (from 2014 to 2024), we analyzed NME clustering and predictors through spatial autocorrelation and spatial regression. Findings differ from previous analyses with a lower impact of spatial clustering and a novel association between voting patterns and NME rates. Better understanding these predictors can help guide interventions and research into the drivers of vaccine hesitancy.