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Full text release has been delayed at the author's request until December 20, 2026

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A Just Recovery: Agroecology and Climate Justice in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria

Velez, Thelma I
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9224-9721
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1638013148638362

Abstract Details

2021, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Environment and Natural Resources.
What accounts for disaster mobilization in marginalized communities? Under what conditions do social movement organizations devote or redirect their limited resources to support the goal of another organization or movement? How do academics engage in disaster research without perpetuating colonial, extractivist practices? In this dissertation, I explore these questions through a study centered on #JustRecovery agroecological mobilization in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria. I use a mixed-methods approach incorporating: participant observation, semi-structured in-depth interviews, and content analysis of digital and archival data which I thematically coded and analyzed. In an act of solidarity, I also volunteered on agroecological farms throughout Puerto Rico, participated in brigades rebuilding farms, and connected with various organizations promoting the expansion of agroecology across the island. I begin the dissertation by explaining my decision to pivot from positivist epistemology to critical qualitative research as a means to engage ethically with frontline communities. Second, I support the claims of coloniality expressed by #JustRecovery organizers and the people of Puerto Rico through a historical political economic analysis of agrarian change to explain how the archipelago’s modern failed food-system is a byproduct of U.S. colonial rule. Third, I apply a social movement lens to the Our Power Puerto Rico #Just Recovery movement to make the case that disasters merit greater attention in social movement theory, and also to explain the convergence of agroecology and food justice, climate justice, and environmental justice movements using theories of frame alignment, collective identity, and psychological distance. I then draw from the collective agency and community resilience framework to explain the processes of scaling-up agroecology to promote climate resilient, sustainable communities. Using interviews from activists and farmers on the island, I conclude with an ethnographic approach to highlight that agroecology in Puerto Rico is a tool for decolonization and sovereignty and is an inclusive, woman-led movement.
Kerry Ard (Advisor)
Eric Toman (Committee Member)
Kendra McSweeney (Committee Member)
196 p.
Agriculture; Caribbean Studies; Climate Change; Environmental Justice; Environmental Studies; Epistemology; Latin American History; Social Research; Sociology
Agroecology, Social Movements, Climate Justice, Food Sovereignty, Colonialism, Political Economy, Disaster Research, Critical Qualitative Inquiry, Scholar Activism

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Velez, T. I. (2021). A Just Recovery: Agroecology and Climate Justice in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1638013148638362

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Velez, Thelma. A Just Recovery: Agroecology and Climate Justice in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria. 2021. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1638013148638362.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Velez, Thelma. "A Just Recovery: Agroecology and Climate Justice in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1638013148638362

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1638013148638362
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.