Date of Award

Spring 6-9-2024

Document Type

Thesis (Undergraduate)

Department

Environmental Studies

First Advisor

Michael Cox

Abstract

The Dominican Republic and Central American Free Trade Agreement, or DR-CAFTA, was signed on March 1, 2007 by the United States, the Dominican Republic and six other countries in Central America. The United States set specific tariff schedules to be phased in after twenty years for certain crops, one of which is rice. Rice is one of the most important crops in the Dominican Republic and produced in the northwestern province of Monte Cristi. This area is affected by climate change due to droughts and water shortages. In my research, I investigate how rice farmers and agrochemical companies, two important groups in the rice system, will be affected by DR-CAFTA and climate change. To answer this question, I traveled to Las Matas de Santa Cruz in Monte Cristi during the summer of 2023 and interviewed 30 rice farmers, and 11 agrochemical company employees. I partnered with AgroFrontera, an NGO that is based in Las Matas that works with farmers to improve productivity and sustainability through technical, financial and government support, for my research. After asking about how they would respond to DR-CAFTA and what their concerns would be in the next five years, I sorted all of the responses into an excel spreadsheet that I analyzed. In my results, I found how factors like identity, sustainability, and the government could be important factors in making the rice community in Monte Cristi more resilient to changes in the rice system.

Download

Share

COinS