Garrett in Mongabay on Deforestation Programs in the Amazon

Rachael Garrett, assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University and Associate Director of the Global Development Policy Center’s Land Use and Livelihoods Initiative, recently commented on the challenges facing programs combating Deforestation. 

Garrett was quoted in a Mongabay article on September 3, 2019 titled “Giant Norway pension fund weighs Brazil divestment over Amazon deforestation”. 

From the text of the article:

Garrett proposed a broader, stick-and-carrot approach to limiting deforestation. “I personally believe that the most successful conservation approaches would be those that combine a jurisdictional payment for ecosystem services programs, with supply-chain exclusion and increased resources [such as credit lines] for improved agricultural practice adoption,” Garrett wrote…Garrett also noted that the most successful conservation programs have included farmers from the outset of a project’s development stage.

Dr. Garrett’s research examines interactions between agriculture, ecosystem services, and economic development at multiple spatial and temporal scales to better define what sustainable food systems look like and how to achieve them. Most of Dr. Garrett’s research is centered on commercial oilseed and cattle production, particularly in South America. Dr. Garrett’s research utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods and designs, including case studies, modeling, and statistical analysis to assess the complex feedbacks between local land use decisions and global food system processes.