Lauren Asprooth
Research Scientist
1535 Observatory Drive
Lauren is a human ecologist working on participatory and community driven research that advances the transformation of agricultural systems to be ecologically regenerative, economically resilient, and socially just. She has over ten years of experience working on sustainable agriculture and natural resource governance with organizations including the Center for International Tropical Agriculture of the CGIAR and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. She gained a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance in concert with service in the U.S. Peace Corps Senegal and a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Davis. Her work at CIAS examines the many ways in which grain farmers in the Corn Belt can be supported to transition to diversified, regenerative agricultural practices from peer-to-peer farmer networks to market development to Farm Bill policies.
Lauren is from Northern Illinois and lives in Madison Wisconsin with her dog Rocky. In her free time, she explores herbalism, permaculture, wild food foraging, and bluegrass music.
Traldi, R., Asprooth, L., Usher, E., Church, S., Floress, K., Harden, S., Maynard, L., Thompson, A., Torres, A., Prokopy, L., Arbuckle J. “Safer to plant corn and beans”? Navigating the challenges and opportunities of agricultural diversification in the U.S. Corn Belt. Agricultural and Human Values, in press.
Pesci, S., Durant, J., Manser, G., Galt, R., Asprooth, L., & Pinzón, N. (2024). Online tools helped direct market farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but resources are needed for equitable adoption. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 13(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2024.133.020
Traldi, R.; Arbuckle, J.; Asprooth, L.; Atallah, S.; Church, S.; Doherty, F.; Esman, L. A.; Floress, K.; Gramig, B.; Maynard, E. T.; Miller, R.; Spaulding, A.; Aaron, A. W.; Usher, E.; Prokopy, L. S. (2025), “2023 Diverse Corn Belt farmer survey data and metadata.” (DOI: 10.4231/VRVP-K166).
Asprooth, L., Galt, R., & Norton, M. 2023. Transforming the Corn Belt: A recipe for collaborative, farmer-driven research and diffusion of innovation. Journal of Rural Studies, 103, 103133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103133
Pesci, S., Galt, R., Manser, G., Asprooth, L., Durant, J., Pinzón, N. 2023. A digital divide in direct market farmers’ online sales and marketing: Early pandemic evidence from California. Journal of Rural Studies, 101, 103038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103038
Asprooth, L., Norton, M., Galt, R. 2023. The adoption of conservation practices in the Corn Belt: the role of one formal farmer network, Practical Farmers of Iowa. Agric Hum Values. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-023-10451-5
Durant, J., L., Asprooth, L., Galt, R.E., Schmulevich, S.P., Manser, G.M., Pinzón, N. 2023. Farm resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of California direct market farmers. Agricultural Systems, 204, 103532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2022.103532
Galt, R.E., Asprooth, L., 2021. The effects of agrochemicals on humans, in: Handbook on the Human Impact of Agriculture. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781839101748.00028
Ignaciuk, A., Ilicic, J., Asprooth, L., Sitko, N., Bernard, A., Tubiello, F., Mueller, M., Ilicic, J., 2021. Progress towards sustainable agriculture: Drivers of change, FAO Agricultural Development Economics Technical Study No. 13. FAO, Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7896en
Tubiello, F., Wanner, N., Asprooth, L., Muller, M., Ignaciuk, A., Khan, A., Rosero-Moncayo, J., 2021. Measuring progress towards sustainable agriculture, FAO Statistics Working Paper 21-24. FAO, Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb4549en