Sabine O'Hara

Sabine O'Hara is a German-born agricultural and ecological economist and scholar.[1] Her work focuses on sustainable development,[2] urban food systems,[3] circular economies,[4] and environmental justice.[5] She is a distinguished professor at the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) at the University of the District of Columbia.[6] She is a former president of the International Society for Ecological Economics and Roanoke College.[7]

Education and career

O'Hara earned  degrees in Agricultural Science, Agricultural Economics, and Environmental Economics (Dr. sc. ag.) from the Universität Göttingen in Germany.[8] She holds additional certificates in higher education leadership from Yale University and the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.[7]

During her tenure at UDC O'Hara served as the founding dean of CAUSES from 2012[9] to 2019, and founding director of the Ph.D. program in Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship from 2019 to 2024.[8] In 2020 she transitioned to the rank of distinguished professor. She is the founder and principal of Global Ecology, LLC and serves as managing director and Vice President of Professors Beyond Borders.[10]

Before joining UDC, O'Hara served as director of public policy of the NY State Council of Churches, faculty member at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,[11] provost and professor of economics at Green Mountain College, president of Roanoke College,[10] and executive director of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES).[12][13]

O'Hara's funded research has included collaborations with the District Department of Energy and Environment and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture.[8]

Research and scholarly works

O'Hara's research focuses on community-based sustainable development, urban resilience, urban food systems, linkages between urban agriculture and green infrastructure,[14] and the economic, social, and environmental impacts of urban development.[15]

She is associated with the concept of sustaining production, later termed restorative economics, which emphasizes the limits of environmental and social "sink" capacities in economic systems.[4] At the University of the District of Columbia, she launched the Urban Food Hubs initiative, a circular urban food system model integrating food production, processing, distribution, and waste and water management to improve food access, public health, resilience, and local economic opportunity.[16]

Her monograph, Food Justice in American Cities: Stories of Health and Resilience (2023), examines food insecurity in U.S. cities and the role of emerging food and agriculture initiatives,[17] and received first prize in the food security category at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2025.[1] Her earlier book-length work includes Higher Education in Africa: Equity, Access, Opportunity (2010).[18]

O'Hara has published in peer-reviewed journals including Ecological Economics, Sustainability, Review of Social Economy, World, and Frontiers in Sustainable Cities.[19] Her recent articles address topics including community-based sustainable development,  the hydrological cycle as driver of economic capacity,[20] climate change, food policy, and urban agriculture. Central to her work is the role of community experts in defining the goals and metrics of economics development in general and food systems in particular.[21] Her earlier scholarship, dating to the 1990s, includes contributions to ecological economics, sustainability theory, and the ethical dimensions of economic development.[9]

She served as president of the International Society for Ecological Economics (2012–2016) and the United States Society for Ecological Economics (2007–2010),[19] and was a member of the board of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (2008–2011).[22]

Selected publications

References

  1. ^ a b "Sabine O'Hara Receives Global Award for New Book on Food Security in Urban America". Women In Academia Report. 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
  2. ^ DeCanniere, Andrew (2019-06-18). "Spotlight on Sustainability with Dr. Sabine O'Hara, Founding Dean of the University of the District of Columbia's College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability & Environmental Sciences". Splash Magazines Worldwide. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
  3. ^ Peck, Steven. "Integrating Food Systems in the Urban Landscape with Sabine O'Hara". Living Architecture Monitor. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
  4. ^ a b Diamond, Rickey Gard (2021-07-06). "Kitchen Sinks, Carbon Sinks and Restorative Economics". Ms. Magazine. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
  5. ^ Kennedy, Rhea Yablon (2015-09-10). "How researchers are trying to grow an unusual urban crop: Rice". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  6. ^ McCluskey, Molly. "This campus takes "learning environment" literally". Ensia. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  7. ^ a b "SABRINE U. O'HARA - 2004 TO 2007". www.roanoke.edu. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
  8. ^ a b c "Sabine O'Hara". University of the District of Columbia. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  9. ^ a b Hong, Janette (2014-03-14). "New academic program pairs scientific know-how with business savvy". Washington Post. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  10. ^ a b "Dr. Sabine O'Hara is Managing Director and Vice President of Professors Beyond Borders and Principal of Global Ecology LLC" (PDF). Global Ecology.
  11. ^ Loague, Dan. "Sr. Adv. - S. O'Hara O'Hara has experience in virtually every aspect of university administration". Global Tech Exchange. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  12. ^ Madden, Meggan (2010-10-03). "Going Global? A Guide to the Twists and Turns of Global Mobility in Higher Education". Academic Matters. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  13. ^ "U-M 2008-09 Fulbright Scholars named". University of Michigan News. 2008-11-18. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  14. ^ O'Hara, Sabine (2017-02-23). "The Urban Food Hubs Solution: Building Capacity in Urban Communities". Metropolitan Universities. 28 (1): 69–93. doi:10.18060/21477. ISSN 1047-8485.
  15. ^ O'Hara, Sabine; Stuiver, Marian (2022-06-22), Stuiver, Marian (ed.), "Chapter 9: Restorative economics – food hubs as catalysts of a new urban economy", The symbiotic city, Brill | Wageningen Academic, pp. 187–204, doi:10.3920/978-90-8686-935-0_9, ISBN 978-90-8686-935-0, retrieved 2026-02-26{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  16. ^ "Building a Resilient Model for Urban Agriculture | Food Safety Magazine". www.food-safety.com. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  17. ^ Harper, Kaitlyn (2025-12-16). "Centering lived experience in the study of food justice". Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. 15 (1): 383–385. doi:10.5304/jafscd.2025.151.031. ISSN 2152-0801.
  18. ^ O'Hara, Sabine, ed. (2010). Higher education in Africa: equity, access, opportunity. New York: Institute of International Education. ISBN 978-0-87206-334-1.
  19. ^ a b "United States Society for Ecological Economics -- Board/Staff". www.uvm.edu. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  20. ^ O'Hara, Sabine; Kakovitch, Thomas S. (2023-06-01). "Water as driver of economic capacity: Introducing a physical economic model". Ecological Economics. 208 107811. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2023.107811. ISSN 0921-8009.
  21. ^ "Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Releases Inspiring Podcast Episode with Dr. Sabine O'Hara". Living Architecture Monitor. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  22. ^ "Appendix C Biographies of Workshop Speakers INFORMATION GATHERING WORKSHOP 1". Operationalizing Sustainable Development to Benefit People and the Planet. 2022. ISBN 978-0-309-69165-9.
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