People / Students

Anaya Hall

Modeling Organic Waste Management for Soil Carbon Sequestration in California (MS ’19)

Anaya (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at UC Berkeley. She is a political ecologist and human geographer studying the material and discursive dynamics of US Corn Belt agriculture. Her dissertation research, based on on-going ethnographic and archival research in Iowa, critically examines water quality improvement efforts and emergent urban-rural social conflicts in the context of agro-industrial production systems. Her previous work explored the social, environmental, and economic potential of reimagining municipal food waste as a tool for climate change mitigation.

Prior to joining ERG, Anaya attended the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University where she earned an M.S. in Agriculture, Food & Environment and a Certificate in Water Systems & Society. Anaya holds a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University. She enjoys crossword puzzles, gardening, and hiking with her daughter.

Publications / Blog Posts:

“‘Cropaganda’: Mythology of Corn Belt agriculture.” 2024. Journal of Rural Studies.

“Socio-environmental opportunities for organic material management in California’s sustainability transition.”” 2024. Environmental Science and Technology.

“Situating reproduction: How becoming mothers impacts fieldwork and why it matters.” (In Press) The Professional Geographer.

“Near-term potential of organic waste management infrastructure for soil carbon sequestration in rangelands.” 2022. Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability.

Research Group(s):

Water Group (Ray)

Society, Environment and Economics Lab (Anthoff)

Chung Lab

Contacts:

anayahall.com

anayahall@berkeley.edu