Rachel Schattman

Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agriculture
Associate, Climate Change Institute

Website: Schattman Lab

Research Interests

  • Agroecology
  • Climate change
  • Water management
  • Vegetable and small fruit production
  • Mixed methods research

Research Projects

  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation research, outreach and education for land managers in Maine and the Northeast, The USDA Northeast Climate Hub, U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station
  • The effects of changing precipitation patterns in specialty crops in the Northeast, Maine Food and Agriculture Center, Integrated Research and Extension Grant
  • The Northeast Climate Adaptation Fellowship to Support Fruit and Vegetable Producers, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE SARE) Professional Development Program.
  • Enhancing adoption of regenerative agriculture practices in U.S. wheat farming systems, General Mills Inc.

Resources

Affiliations

  • Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences
  • Soil and Water Conservation Society
  • Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society
  • International Association for Society and Natural Resources

Degrees

  • University of Vermont, Agroecology, Ph.D. 2016
  • University of Vermont, Natural Resources, M.S. 2009
  • Sarah Lawrence College, Environmental Studies, B.A. 2004

Courses Taught

  • PSE 101 – Introduction to Cropping Systems
  • PSE 312 – Sustainable Food Systems: Challenges and Opportunities
  • PSE 430 – Sustainable Horticulture and Agriculture Capstone

Profile

Rachel’s research focus is in supporting farmers to be more resilient in a changing climate while protecting natural resources. Her academic background is in agroecology, with a focus on sustainable management in vegetable production systems, sociology, community food security, and farm-based adaptive practices to climate change. During her doctoral research, she took an interdisciplinary approach to studying the effects of a changing climate on specialty crop production in the Northeast United States. Prior to coming to the University of Maine, she served as a post-doctoral researcher with the USDA Northeast Climate Hub where she studied agricultural perspectives on climate change and adaptation, and designed curricula targeted towards adult learners.

Rachel has expertise in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research design and analysis, and a background in applied Participatory Action Research (PAR). Her experience owning and managing a diversified vegetable farm informs her perspective and research focus.

Selected Publications

Schattman, R. E., Trinity, L., Clark, E. M., & Merrill, S. C. (in press). Awards: Untapped motivation for agricultural conservation behavior. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene 9(1): 00120. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2021.00120.

Schattman, R. E., Caswell, M. J., & Faulkner, J. W. (2021). Eyes on the horizon: Temporal perspectives of climate risk and agricultural decision making. Society and Natural Resources. DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2021.1894283.

Basche, A., Tully, K., Alvarez-Berrios, N. L., Reyes, J., Lengnick, L., Brown, T., Moore Kucera, J., Schattman, R. E. Koepke Johnson, L., Roesch-McNally, G. (2020). Evaluating the untapped potential of U.S. conservation investments to improve soil and environmental health. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2020.547876.

Schattman, R. E., Niles, M. T., & Aitken, H. M. (2020). Water use governance in a temperate region: Implications for agricultural climate change adaptation in the Northeastern United States. Ambio. 50(4), 942-955 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-020-01417-6.