Petra Bola Abdulsalam-Saghir has always been interested in understanding the relationship between the rural community, health, poverty, gender, and agricultural productivity. Early in her research, she argued that alleviating rural poverty among women required a deeper scientific understanding of the correlation between natural-resource use and poverty, especially where women play major roles in managing natural resources, such as soil, water, and forests, and are the sole livelihood providers for their families.