Kathryn Teigen De Master

Kathryn Teigen De Master is Associate Professor of Agriculture, Society, and Environment at UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources. Her research investigates farmland financialization, agricultural resilience, and socio-ecological benefits of diversified farming systems. She leads NSF- and USDA-funded projects on agri-food tech impacts and land ownership patterns.

Research Focus: Political economy of agriculture, effects of corporate land ownership on rural communities, biodiversity benefits in farming systems, and water resource conflicts. Methodologically integrates sociological analysis with environmental science.

Awards and Recognition: Recipient of the Rural Sociological Society Excellence in Instruction Award (2021), Distinguished Teaching Award from UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources (2021), and Hellman Faculty Fellowship (2016-17) supporting research on farmland financialization.

Publication Trends: Recent works emphasize systemic analyses of agricultural sustainability, including large-scale studies on diversified farming benefits, organic practice adoption, and corporate land investment impacts. Research consistently addresses power dynamics in food systems.