Da’Mirah Vinson conducted her thesis defense today on a topic of study highly overlooked within scholarly research. She looked at the impact of pesticides and gold mining on gaming in Ghana with her topic being “Environmental Degradation and Food Systems in Ghana: Gold Mining and Pesticides”. Through this research she tackles not just the challenges of her thesis but also the social narrative surrounding Africa as a whole, everyday challenges of corruption and decline in farming as a source of food and work. Da’Mirah’s work holds global implications about food insecurity, agriculture and sociology.
As my first introduction into thesis defenses Da’Mirah was an energetic and joyful presence. From images and direct quotes she portrayed her passion for her research and the opportunities she received to conduct it. Her time in Ghana and the interactions she had there seemed to further the passion she holds for her research.
From her research, Da’Mirah found that farmers in Ghana faced various social issues from the government and from within their own communities. She pointed out that within Ghana globalization plays a huge role in the degeneration of farming and agriculture within the country. As societal determinants like changes in employment, global dependency and structural changes in the country impacted the ways in which food developed and was ultimately dispersed throughout farming communities. The government has also acted as a promoter of those social determinants keeping farmers severely limited in what they are able to grow and where they are able to do it.
Furthermore, Da’Mirah found that gold mining was a huge issue within the farming community as it meant destruction of farming land. Unsustainable chemical damage that ultimately changed land fertility meant that farmers had less serviceable land to work with. Due to how valuable mining is to the economy of Ghana it has continued to increase land destruction while also leaving behind only one direction of income for farmers, cocoa.
Da’Mirah’s thesis defense, therefore, serves as a crucial call to action, urging global stakeholders to address the complex relationship between environmental harm and food justice in Ghana and even beyond that. Da’Mirah Vinson’s work is a vital contribution to understanding how local farming communities’ struggles against environmental degradation hold profound implications for the future of global food security and sustainable development.
P.S Da’Mirah Vinson is one of our beloved Griot Interns! We are so very proud of her and her accomplishments. Da’Mirah, continue to thrive wherever your next steps may lead you. We eagerly anticipate the groundbreaking work you will undoubtedly accomplish next.