Forrest Stagner, PhD

Forrest Stagner holds a dual-title PhD in Rural Sociology and International Agriculture & Development from The Pennsylvania State University. He is currently a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State studying waste-to-energy systems and the on-farm production of biogas, and serves as adjunct professor of anthropology and sociology at Penn State Altoona.

He has worked in food systems across the United States in North Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Iowa as well as internationally in Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and Zambia. His dissertation was a mixed-methods investigation into livestock use by smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa for climate change resilience.

Academic Publications

Morris, C., Stagner, F., Arbuckle, J., Montabon, F., Helbing, M., Hinrichs, C., & Fowler, L. (2025). Growing gas? Stakeholder perspectives on divergent models of biogas production. Energy Research and Social Science, 127. DOI ↗

Stagner, F. (2025). Effects of temperature and precipitation stress on livestock ownership in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Agriculture and Environment for International Development, 119(1). DOI ↗

Stagner, F. & Mulundano, J. (2024). Toward a critical theory of social-ecological resilience: Maize and cattle in Southern Province, Zambia. Ambio. DOI ↗

Korkut, E., Helbing, M. D., Fowler, L., et al. (2023). The regulatory landscape of livestock anaerobic digesters and renewable natural gas (RNG). Journal of Animal and Environmental Law, 15(1).

Stagner, F. (2023). Climate change effects on socio-demographic outcomes as mediated by bride price practices: A review. Human Ecology, 51(6). DOI ↗

Lindemann, J., Alter, T., Stagner, F., et al. (2022). Building urban community resilience through university extension. Socio-Ecological Practice Research, 4(4). DOI ↗

Ransom, E. & Stagner, F. (2020). Gender and Livestock Production. In Routledge Handbook of Gender and Agriculture. Routledge.

Technical Reports & Proceedings

Stagner, F., Akingbasote, M., Ciolkosz, D., et al. (2024). Responses to Outstanding Stakeholder Questions. C-CHANGE Grass2Gas. DOI ↗

Morris, C., Stagner, F., & Arbuckle, J. (2024). Proceedings Summary Report: National Stakeholder Workshop. C-CHANGE Grass2Gas. DOI ↗

Stagner, F., Morris, C., & Arbuckle, J. (2023). Pennsylvania Stakeholder Workshop Report. C-CHANGE Grass2Gas. DOI ↗

Morris, C., Stagner, F., & Arbuckle, J. (2023). Iowa Stakeholder Workshop Report. C-CHANGE Grass2Gas. DOI ↗

In Review / Forthcoming

Stagner, F., Morris, C., Helbing, M., et al. (Forthcoming). Bioproduct policy: An overview and case study of farm-based biogas production in the United States. In BioProducts: Green materials for an emerging circular and sustainable economy, 2nd Ed. De Gruyter Brill.

2023

PhD, Rural Sociology & International Agriculture

The Pennsylvania State University

2012

Master of International Studies

North Carolina State University

2010

BA, Political Science

North Carolina State University

2023–Pres.

Postdoctoral Scholar

Penn State University — C-CHANGE Grass2Gas Consortium

2024–Pres.

Adjunct Professor, Anthropology & Sociology

Penn State Altoona

2018–2023

Graduate Research Assistant

Penn State University — Rural Sociology & International Agriculture

Service Role (2013-2015)

Peace Corps Volunteer

Zambia

Service Role (2016-2017)

Peace Corps Response Volunteer

Sierra Leone

Service Role (2017-2018)

AmeriCorps Service Member

FoodCorps — United States

Download the full curriculum vitae for a complete record of research, teaching, service, and professional activities.

Download CV (PDF)

Last updated October 2025

I began working on a game while doing my dissertation research with peasant farmers in Zambia that reflected their experiences of navigating new intensive agricultural inputs. That game involved an Excel spreadsheet and cards made out of cereal boxes. This web-based version allows students to explore topics in the sociology of agriculture like the technological treadmill and depeasantization. Check out Green Revolution, and let me know your thoughts!

Play Green Revolution

Feel free to reach out via email or connect on LinkedIn.

fws11@psu.edu
LinkedIn