Team members Abigail, Lainey, and Sophia in the field

Author: Abigail Burch | Majors: International Business Economics and German | Semester: Summer 2022

My name is Abigail Burch, and I am studying International Business Economics and German in the Walton College of Business. My mentor is Dr. Amy Farmer from the department on economics. I learned about this opportunity when Dr. Farmer came to my macroeconomics class to tell us about different internship opportunities that we could apply to through the university. I chose this topic because it presented the opportunity to engage with an economy that is very different and of a much smaller scale than ours in the states. Mauritius relies on imported food to sustain both its population and tourism industry, leaving them especially vulnerable to climate change, supply chain issues, and inflation. I was interested in researching its dairy industry because I had already experienced cultures with established and highly regarded dairy industries. I was interested in experiencing life reliant on shelf-stable milk and wanted to study what inputs and consumer preferences are necessary to establish a dairy industry on such a small island. I conducted research in Mauritius during the summer 2022 semester, and I plan to contextualize my experience in my honors thesis and prepare my analysis to be presented at a conference.

I worked with four other U of A students and a group of five Mauritian students from the University of Mauritius to conduct surveys concerning milk consumption on the island and food security pre- and post-pandemic. On Mondays, we would have meetings at the University of Mauritius with UARK professor Dr. Nalley and Dr. Roshini Gopaul from the University of Mauritius to discuss survey progress and strategy for the week. Then, the team of UARK and U of M students would travel to different locations on the island to survey, ensuring that a diverse sample of Mauritians are represented in the survey. The data collected will be used by the faculty of agriculture at the University of Mauritius and the Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security to better understand the current economic situation and how to allocate agricultural resources to best serve the population.

Through dialogue with students and Mauritians of every class, I was able to gain a clearer understanding of how COVID-19 affected the population for better or for worse. The milk survey was a bit more difficult to give, as it was purely hypothetical, and people’s experiences and level of understanding could lead them to give very different answers than what they might mean. This was a challenge that we overcame as we collaborated with our enumerators, as they could translate English to Creole and use examples that we Americans might not have thought of. It took me some time to adjust to the work-culture on the island; deadlines are a suggestion and time moves as fast or slow as you want it to. But, as I got to know the people, I came to understand “Mauritian time” and found the forgiving timetables a welcome contrast to our fast-paced culture in America. I have learned that despite the island’s small size, its economy and the lives of its people are just as nuanced and complicated as in the United States.

I approached this project with the hope that I would learn more about opportunities in agricultural economics and the nature of economic research. Each of the faculty members involved in this project helped demystify the career paths I could take after completing my undergrad. They provided the framework for and advice that empowered me to take ownership of the research that I was conducting; through this experience I have reinforced the knowledge and skills I have learned in the Walton College. I will continue to pursue economic research and find ways to use apply what I have learned in the classroom to the real world.