Author: Abigail Burch | Majors: International Business, German | Semester: Fall 2022

My name is Abigail Burch, and I am studying International Business Economics in the Walton College of Business with an additional major in German. My mentor is Dr. Amy Farmer from the department of economics, and I have also worked with Dr. Nalley in the Agricultural Economics department on this project. 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. COVID-19 had a profound impact on the economy, shutting down their tourism industry and slowing down the supply of goods imported to the island. I conducted Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved surveys in Mauritius during the summer 2022 semester with the purpose of analyzing dairy consumption on the island as well as food security and how it was affected by the global pandemic. This fall I continued to work with the data we collected and used our analysis to create a poster to be presented at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting this spring.

While I have taken data analysis classes and learned economic principles in class, I had never actually run an analysis from scratch. It was a little daunting to have to compile and analyze such a large quantity of data, but the other students and I learned together. Rather than knowing the results of a situation presented in a textbook, we analyzed a real-world, nuanced situation and drew intelligent conclusions based on what we have learned both in class and through this experience. The process has served as an introduction to econometrics and the type of work I will do throughout my master’s degree and career in economics. Dr. Nalley was incredibly helpful throughout the process, guiding us through questions about coding data, presenting at an academic conference, and creating our poster to be presented. As we analyzed our data, we maintained contact with our Mauritian counterparts, and they have received the results of our surveys. The Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security now has the ability to refer to our analysis when making decisions and exploring further issues.

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 am excited that the work I have completed this semester has been in anticipation of the SAEA meeting, as it will give me the chance to present my research to experts in the field of agricultural economics and explore related career paths that will be available to me.