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Karen D. Buchsbaum, Ph.D., is a 2024 graduate of the Ph.D. Program in Environmental Studies at Antioch University, New England

Dr. Karen Buchsbaum

Dissertation Committee:

  • James Jordan, PhD, Chairperson
  • Elizabeth McCann, PhD
  • Dale Rothmann, PhD

Keywords

climate change adaptation, agriculture, serious games, simulation, decision-making, cognition, agent-based modeling, food security, socioecological systems

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

Climate change presents an unprecedented challenge to global agriculture and food security. Small farms are especially vulnerable to the local impacts of large-scale drivers of change. Effective adaptation in agriculture requires working across scales, and geographic, political, and disciplinary boundaries to address barriers. I use elements of case study, agent-based modeling and serious games, to design a model of farmer decision-making using the sociocognitive framework of climate change adaptation. I examine how adaptation functions as a process, how complex dynamics influence farmer behavior, and how individual decisions influence collective behavior in response to climate change. This novel approach to adaptation research in agriculture examines the relationships between the contextual, compositional, and cognitive elements of the sociocognitive theory. The tools developed for this research have broad practical and theoretical future applications in climate adaptation research and policymaking. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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ORCID: 0000-0003-0354-0785

Dr. Karen Buchsbaum

Bio:

Karen Buchsbaum, Ph.D., is an environmental professional with over 15 years of experience in climate change adaptation, sustainable agriculture, and community development. She holds a B.A. in Biology and an M.S. in Environmental Education, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England.

Dr. Buchsbaum's research utilizes agent-based modeling and serious games to explore farmer

decision-making and climate change adaptation.

From 2015-2019, she directed and produced the award-winning storytelling project, Harvests of Hope, which highlights the innovative ways small farmers and communities are adapting to climate change.

Dr. Buchsbaum excels in translating complex environmental issues into engaging public discourse, and is passionate about promoting climate resilience through education, community outreach, and innovative research.

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