Rachel M. Brice, in fulfilling the requirements for a Phd in Environmental Studies and Sustainability at Antioch University New England, has written and published a dissertation titled, Resilience of Food Sovereignty Organizations to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
In her sequential explanatory mixed methods study, Brice explores the organizational resilience of food sovereignty organizations (FSOs) in the northeastern United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. She applies a novel “open structural learning approach”—integrating structural contingency theory, open systems theory, and organizational learning theory—to examine how FSOs’ structures, resource flows, and cultures shaped their ability to navigate crises.
Brice engaged FSO leaders through surveys (n = 13), in-depth interviews (n = 7), and archival data analysis. Her findings show that FSOs sustained resilience by making value-driven decisions, fostering strong relationships, and adapting programming. Leaders made rapid decisions while maintaining democratic governance, countering assumptions that collaboration slows crisis response. The study highlights double-loop learning—questioning foundational organizational norms—as critical for preserving mission alignment during disruption. Although the pandemic brought significant challenges, it also created opportunities for growth, heightened community awareness, and expanded funding. As the first known empirical study of FSO resilience, Brice’s work offers important insights for small, mission-driven organizations confronting environmental turbulence, climate change, and economic precarity.
Brice lives and works in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, where she serves as Program & Development Manager at Land For Good, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding secure farmland access, tenure, and transfer. Her professional and academic interests include organizational leadership, resilience, sustainable agriculture, and food sovereignty/food justice. She also chairs the UNH Extension Cheshire County Advisory Council.
Reach and download Brice’s dissertation, Resilience of Food Sovereignty Organizations to the COVID-19 Pandemic, here.
