Research Projects

ARE faculty are national and global leaders in their respective research areas. Externally funded research grants support a large portion of ARE research, and provide unique research opportunities for ARE students. Read the full list of our externally funded projects.

Examples of Faculty Grant-Funded Research

Water Related

“Evaluating Alternative Water Institution Performance in Snow-Dominated Basins: Are Food Production Systems at Risk from Changing Snow Water Availability?” 2018 – 2022. USDA-NIFA (Kimberly Rollins, Co-PI).

“Financial Considerations on the Annual per Unit Value of Water in Irrigated Agriculture: Agricultural Production Models for the Humboldt River Basin.” 2018-2019 State of Nevada Division of Water Resources. (Kimberly Rollins, Co-PI).

“Productivity Growth, Irrigation Efficiency and Climatic Variability in U.S. Agriculture: Empirical Analyses with Emerging Methodologies.” USDA-NIFA.  2016-2019 (Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, P.I.).

“Evaluating Truckee Meadows Water Authority’s Conservation Messaging.” Truckee Meadows Water Authority, Reno, NV.  2015 – 2018 (Kimberly Rollins, Co-PI).

“Rural to Urban Water Transfers, Climate Change and the Future of Rural Agricultural Economies in the Semi-Arid West: A Comparative Regional Analysis.” 2015-18. USDA-NIFA (Kimberly Rollins, Co-PI)

“Evaluating the Economic Returns of Fuel Treatments at Multiple Spatial Scales: Accounting for Treatment, Timing and Ecological Conditions.” BLM AND JOINT FIRE SCIENCE PROGRAM: 2014 – 2018 (Kimberly Rollins, PI).

crops growing in greenhouse

Agriculture, Land Management, and Ecosystems

"Economic Dimmensions of Rurality: using InfoGroup to Construct New Measures of Corectedness" USDA-NIFA 2021- (Ricahard Dunn, P.I.)

“NEWIR Manure: Nutrients, Energy, and Water Innovations for Resource Recovery.” 2019 -2024. NSF. (Kimberly Rollins, Co-PI).

“Integrating Markets and non-Market Benefits to Value Ecological Change in Agroecoystems.” 2010 – 2016. USDA-NIFA and EPA STAR Program (Kimberly Rollins, Co-PI).

Food and Agriculture

"The Impact of Specialty Local Food Retailers on Local Consumers and Direct Marketing Producers". USDA-ERS 2021- (Cristina Connolly, P.I.)

"Productivity Gaps Among Farmers in the United States: Do Social Disparities Play a Role?" USDA-ERS. 2021- (Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, P.I.)

“Measuring the Food and Agriculture Economy.” 2016-2020 USDA-NIFA. (Richard A. Dunn, PI).

“New Geographies for Understanding US Rural Business Dynamics.” USDA-NIFA. 2019-2022 (Richard A. Dunn, PI).

“Interaction between Productivity Growth and Environmental Factors for Multi-Output Farms with a Dairy Focus”. USDA-NIFA. 2011-2016 (Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, P.I.).

Health

“Drunk Driving with Children: Putting the Brakes on a Disturbing Trend.” 2018-2020. HIH: NATIONAL INSTITUTE on ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM. (Richard A. Dunn, Co-Investigator).

Marine Resources and Coastal Communities

Rising Waters: the Thames River Watershed Resilience Project, NOAA BWET. (Syma Ebbin, co-PI) 2019.

National Park Service National Maritime Heritage Grants, Blue Heritage Trail, (Syma Ebbin, co-PI) 2018/20.

CT Maritime Waterways Corridor Project, UConn Office of Public Engagement, (Syma Ebbin, co-PI) 2015/20

International Development

"Measuring the Impact of Foreign Trade Stocks on Agricutlure in the United States" USDA-NIFA 2021- (Sandro Steinbach, Studdent: Dongin Kim)

“Taming Water in Ethiopia: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Improve Human Security in a Water-Dependent Emerging Region”, funded by  NSF. 2016-2020 (Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, Sr. Researcher).

“Cost Benefit Analysis of Technology Interventions to Increase Productivity and Profitability in Groundnut and Soybean Farming Systems in Malawi.” USAID through University of Georgia. 2017-2019 (Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, P.I.).

“Agricultural Productivity and Farm Size in Southern African Countries:  Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi.” USDA ERS. 2015-2017 (Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, P.I.).

“Productivity and Profitability Growth in Peanut Production: A Farm Level Analysis in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.” USAID -PMIL. 2014- 2017 (Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, P.I.).

“An Integrated Global Breeding and Genomics Approach to Intensifying Peanut Production and Quality: An Econometric Analysis of the Impact of Improved Seed Varieties.” USAID -PMIL via U of Georgia. 2014-2017 (Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, Co-PI).

“Using Applied Research and Technology Transfer to Minimize Aflatoxin Contamination and Increase Production, Quality and Marketing of Peanut in Ghana.”  USAID -PMIL via NC State.  2013-2017 (Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, Co-PI).

an elder with cows on an international project trip
An elder with cows. Photo by Mariajose Silva Vargas.

Climate Change

"How Does a Changing Climate Affect Agricultural Productivity, Markets, and Trade?" Awarded by USDA-Economic Research Service, 9/22/2021 (Boris E. Bravo-Ureta)

"Real Estate Values, Tax Revenues, and Climate Change- Induced Retreat from Flood Zones" Awarded by CIRCA- Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adatption-- -2021 (Charles Towe)

“Agricultural Productivity and Climatic Variability: A Meta-Analysis and Empirical Assessment.” Awarded by the UConn-CAHNR Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station, Competitive Capacity Grants Program -- 2018-2021 (Boris E. Bravo-Ureta, P.I.).

Trade and Policy

“Evaluating the Impact of Preferential Trade Agreements on Agricultural and Food Trade: New Insights from Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning” 2022 – 2025. USDA-NIFA,, AFRI Program (Sandro Steinbach, Co-PI).

"Measuring the Impact of Foreign Trade Shocks on Agriculture in the United States" 2021-2024. USDA-NIFA, EWD Program (Dognin Kim, PI, Sandro Steinbach, Principal Mentor)

"Putting an End to the Trade War? Trade Effects on California Agriculture" 2021-2022. Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics (Sandro Steinbach, Co-PI)

"Foreign Direct Investment in the U.S. Food Industry" 2019-2022. USDA-NIFA (Sandro Steinbach, PI)