Howdy!
It's a perfect day for plants, isn't it? My name is Aliyah Abdur-Razzaaq and I'm a current (soon to be former) student at Texas A&M majoring in Horticulture and Plant & Environmental Soil Science. I am also pursuing minors in Plant Breeding and Ecology & Conservation Biology.
As a child, I'd always been interested in plants. Now, as an adult, I have found joy in exploring the many facets of horticulture, agriculture, and soil science. Through this exploration I have discovered my main interests: human-plant interactions, conservation, and fruit breeding.
With my degrees I hope to enter one of three fields, germplasm conservation, fruit breeding, or human-plant interactions. Currently, I am especially interested in human-plant interactions especially greening cities, small scale sustainable agriculture, and access to nature in underrepresented communities.
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Access to nature such as trees, water, and sunlight, can lower stress hormone levels, reduce work call-outs, promote relaxation, reduce recidivism, and lower violent crime. ​
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Even with all these stated benefits however, access to greenery and greenspace is unequal. Poorer neighborhoods, historically underserved areas, and high crime neighbors are less likely to contain parks, trees, gardens and buildings with green architectural elements.
Is it possible to widen access to fresh, healthy, culturally relevant foods by establishing small scale sustainable farms in proximity to underserved neighborhoods? What does it take sustain publicly available greenery? What is the best way to widen access to nature in underfunded locations? These are questions I have been exploring during my four years at Texas A&M, and though there is no straight answer, I feel as if I've definitely gotten closer to a solution.
