Current Projects
My dissertation research investigates the social, political, and ecological circumstances of how migrant farm labor and agricultural technologies (agtech) shape large-scale commercial farming practices and interrogates how these labor production systems can be redirected to support more sustainable and socially equitable agricultural practices. I rely upon qualitative and design research methods to explore how migrant farm workers are affected by agtech, how migrant farmers’ agricultural knowledge and expertise are interpreted and used transnationally, and how Canadian growers and agtech designers envision how migrant labor fits into alternative food system futures.
My project is situated between Ontario, Canada and the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Veracruz. I link the farm sites in Canada and Mexico through visiting farms that migrant interviewees worked or grew up on. I examine these contexts with attention to local knowledge practices, tools, and ecological relations with the aim of repositioning migrant farmer skillsets toward more sustainable alternative farming practices in Canada.
Through my research, I aim to centre the design and implementation of agtech in migrant farmer needs, values and skillsets and to support the creation of employment pathways for migrant farmers in alternative agriculture.
Designing for Equitable and Sustainable Agricultural Technologies and Labour Systems
Dr. Kelly Bronson’s social science Diversity by Design project at University of Ottawa aims to better understand the usefulness of digital technologies for small- and medium-scale farmers, which includes market gardeners, organic farmers, regenerative farmers, and similar practitioners. In this project, we ask what digital tools are currently used, which ones may be of potential use that have not yet been developed, and what are concerns over the supposed digital ‘revolution’
For this work, we follow a practice-based and hands-on approach that starts from small- and medium-scale farmers’ experiences and reflections. Findings of this project will help inform policy analysts, policymakers and technology developers to craft more inclusive (policy) tools for a diverse agricultural system.
As a research fellow supporting this project, I help to design and facilitate the participatory research activities including qualitative interviews and design workshops. Through these activities, we hope to better understand multiple stakeholders’ perspectives on if, how, and what kind of (digital) technologies can best serve small-scale farmers in their agricultural practices.
Envisioning Digital Agriculture for Small-Scale Farmers in Quebec and Ontario
Digital gig work is seen as an answer for employment for displaced peoples and those living in countries experiencing economic collapse. Remote contract roles in data labeling and annotation with employers in Western countries is viewed as a means of bypassing local economic and legal employment challenges. Large technology companies and NGOs such as Google and LinkedIn provide subsidized online educations in digital roles to help people develop their skillsets and hopefully gain access to foreign capital. An under explored aspect of digital gig work, however, is how individuals living in countries undergoing political and economic crisis navigate the often unstable electrical infrastructure available to them.
Situated in Lebanon, this project combines qualitative and design research for a community-engaged project with Syrian refugees who have just completed 8 weeks of training in data labeling and annotation. As part of this project, we sent a 20,000 mAh powerbank to each participant as compensation and also as a tool to gauge how small-scale power solutions can shift and hopefully daily life. Through semi-structured interviews and cultural probe activities, we investigate how Syrian digital gig workers conduct their work in context of significant power limitations, and consider how renewable power sources such as solar and wind power could serve as small-scale energy interventions.