Her research, teaching, and public engagement activities are all concerned with societal transitions to sustainability, with particular attention to food systems, agriculture, and the environment. She has conducted farming-systems-oriented field research with dairy farmers, maple syrup producers, swine farmers, and organic growers. Her current projects focus on organizational strategies and outcomes of localizing food systems in a globalizing environment and on the sustainability and rural development implications of biomass energy crop production. Dr. Hinrichs received her PhD in development sociology from Cornell University.