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Riva Denny

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Postdoctoral Researcher
Geospatial Data Sciences
Conservation + Restoration
rchdenny@umich.edu

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About

Riva Denny studies environmentally relevant decision-making among family forest owners and US farmers. Her core research interest is the interactions between social and environmental systems, particularly the way that the biophysical environment influences, or fails to influence, human decision-making at multiple scales. She has a PhD in Sociology from Michigan State University, and an MS in Rural Sociology from Auburn University. She uses both qualitative and quantitative methods and specializes in using multi-equation regression techniques like multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling with latent variables.

Publications

Refereed Journal Articles:

  • Houser, M., R. Gunderson, D. Stuart, and R. C. H. Denny. 2020. “How Farmers ‘Repair’ the Industrial Agricultural System.” Agriculture and Human Values. DOI: 10.1007/s10460-020-10030-y
  • Salk, K. R., R. C. H. Denny, and J. Greif. 2020. “The Role of Policy in Social–ecological Interactions of Nitrogen Management in the Mississippi River Basin.” Journal of Environmental Quality. 49(2):304–313. DOI: 10.1002/jeq2.20042
  • Houser, M., S. T. Marquart-Pyatt, R. C. H. Denny, A. Reimer, and D. Stuart. 2019. “Farmers, Information, and Nutrient Management in the US Midwest.” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 74(3):269–280. DOI: 10.2489/jswc.74.3.269
  • Denny, R. C. H., M. Houser, and S. T. Marquart-Pyatt. 2019. “Understanding the Past and Present and Predicting the Future: Farmers’ Use of Multiple Nutrient BMPs in the Upper Midwest.” Society and Natural Resources. 32(7):807–826. DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2019.1574045
  • Houser, M., R. C. H. Denny, A. Reimer, S. T. Marquart-Pyatt, and D. Stuart. 2018. “Strategies to Enhance University Extension’s Role as an Agricultural Information Source.” Journal of Extension. 56(6):6FEA5.
  • Reimer, A. P., R. C. H. Denny, and D. Stuart. 2018. “The Impact of Federal and State Conservation Programs on Farmer Nitrogen Management.” Environmental Management. 62(4):694–708. DOI: 10.1007/s00267-018-1083-9
  • Denny, R. C. H., and S. T. Marquart-Pyatt. 2018. “Environmental Sustainability in Africa: What Drives the Ecological Footprint Over Time?” Sociology of Development. 4(1):119–144 DOI: 10.1525/sod.2018.4.1.119
  • Stuart, D., R. C. H. Denny, M. Houser, A. Reimer, and S. Marquart-Pyatt. 2018. “Farmer selection of sources of information for nitrogen management in the US Midwest: Implications for environmental programs.” Land Use Policy. 70:289−297. DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.10.047
  • Olabisi, L. S., S. Liverpool-Tasie, L. Rivers III, A. Ligmann-Zielinska, J. Du, R. Denny, S. Marquart-Pyatt, and A. Sidibé. 2018. “Using Participatory Modeling Processes to Identify Sources of Climate Risk in West Africa.” Environment Systems and Decisions 38(1):23–32. DOI: 10.1007/s10669-017-9653-6
  • Denny, R. C. H., S. T. Marquart-Pyatt, A. Ligmann-Zielinska, L. S. Olabisi, L. Rivers, J. Du, and S. Liverpool-Tasie. 2018. “Food Security in Africa: A Cross-scale, Empirical Investigation using Structural Equation Modeling.” Environment Systems and Decisions 38(1):6–22. DOI: 10.1007/s10669-017-9652-7
  • Denny, R. C. H., M. R. Worosz, and N. L. W. Wilson. 2016. “The Importance of Governance Levels in Alternative Food Networks: The Case of Red Meat Inspection Rules.” Rural Sociology 81(4):601–34. DOI: 10.1111/ruso.12103

Education