Madison Barbour
Research
I am a broadly-trained human-environment scholar with interests in the political ecology of land use, geographical political economy and critical GIS. I draw on the interdisciplinary strengths of geography in my research to understand the lives, livelihoods and landscapes of California agriculture. My past work examined inequalities in access to health and safety among migrant farmworker communities and critically examined policy efforts to promote reproductive and environmental justice for farmworkers. My current project leverages qualitative methods and spatial analysis to examine the integration of commercial cannabis into the agricultural landscapes of California. Beyond my research, I am a teacher and mentor to UCLA students, and a student leader in the Geography department.
Selected Publications
Barbour, M., & Guthman, J. (2018). (En)gendering exposure: pregnant farmworkers and the inadequacy of pesticide notification. Journal of Political Ecology, 25(1), 332-349. https://doi.org/10.2458/v25i1.23028
Guthman, J., & Barbour, M. (2017). Grower and worker perspectives in a dynamic regulatory environment for California’s strawberry industry. CASFS Research Briefs, 15. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/44z5j3ms
Grants & Awards
Graduate Research Mentorship Program Award – 2024
UCLA Geography Department Graduate Teaching Award – 2024
Graduate Summer Research Mentorship – 2023
AAG Cultural and Political Ecology Specialty Group Field Study Award – 2023
Irene W. Eng Research Travel Grant – 2022
AAG Geographies of Food and Agriculture Specialty Group Research Grant – 2022
Graduate Dean’s Scholar Award – 2021
Courses & Presentations
Barbour, Madison (2024, April). Contested Ecologies of California Cannabis Production. American Association of Geographers Annual Conference. Waikiki, HI, United States.
Barbour, Madison (2023, May). Health, Justice, and Environmental Politics in the COVID Era. Guest Lecture in Environmental Politics and Policy. UCLA Geography Department.
