Abstract:
This research analyzes how Guyana’s agricultural institutions are innovating to keep the climate-vulnerable rice sector resilient. Using the hypothesis of induced innovation, document analysis, and focus groups, it shows how science-based advances and polycentric collaboration—spanning new rice varieties, agronomy, ICT tools, and water management—co-produce adaptation. The work clarifies how institutional arrangements shape the generation, coordination, and scaling of climate-resilient innovation.
Bio:
Denise Simmons is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Studies of the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Guyana where she teaches courses in Environmental Chemistry, Aquatic Sciences and Environmental Impact Assessment. Her research interests and scholarly work are primarily in environmental pollution, environmental impact assessment, education for sustainable development, and more recently at the intersection of institutions, innovation and climate adaptation. She holds a BSc in Chemistry/Physics and a MSc in Environmental Science. She defended her dissertation last month and is set to graduate with a PhD in Innovation in Global Development from the Rob Walton College of Global Futures, Arizona State University next week.
