Alex Wenger

                I am a PhD student in Rural Sociology, where my dissertation research is focused on studying food crop agrobiodiversity, including seed keeping, and the production of Neglected and Underutilized Crop Species (NUSS) crop species and varieties in Lancaster County, PA. I am asking questions about how farming and food diversity contribute to sustainability and food sovereignty. The journey that led me to Rural Sociology began with studies of plant breeding for food crops that are adapted to organic and alternative farming systems, leading to projects like “Evaluation of Phenotypic Variation in a Collection of Apios americana: An Edible Tuberous Legume," and close collaborations with The Culinary Breeding Network during my undergraduate studies. My Master’s of Science in Sustainable Food Systems Thesis focused on understanding how ethnobotany and diasporic farming traditions address local food system gaps among a diverse group of farming communities who call Lancaster County home. I am particularly interested in understanding nutritional security as it relates to community health outcomes. I hope to research community resilience in ways that benefit farmers and consumers and support the agency of local communities to engage in local food production.

                My Research Assistantship at Penn State, supervised by my advisor, Dr. Kathleen Sexsmith, focuses on the impact of technology on the practices, profitability, and socioeconomics of Pennsylvania dairy farms. I am grateful for the opportunity to work closely with Penn State Extension to serve Pennsylvania’s agricultural community while studying at Penn State. Supporting farmers through public research is a long-term career goal of mine, inspired by my grandparents, who were smallholder farmers.

When I am not studying or working on my research projects, I enjoy raising specialty vegetables on an organic vegetable farm that I started in 2012, and collaborating with professional chefs and members of my community to cook up new and interesting food projects. I have regularly presented my work to a wide array of audiences in an educational format, like at Lancaster’s Hourglass Food For Thought forum, local cooking classes, and food events.

Areas of Interest:

• Agrobiodiversity and Organic Seed Production.
• Formal and Informal Seed Systems.
• Sustainable Food Systems.
• Technology and Agriculture.
• Qualitative Research Methodologies.