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1. A bibliometric analysis of research for climate impact on agriculture

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1191305  

   Wu, You; Meng, Shuhan; Liu, Chaoshun; Gao, Wei; Liang, Xin-Zhong (July 2023, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems)

   Climate anomalies and changes have complex and critical impacts on agriculture. Given global warming, the scientific community has dramatically increased research on these impacts. During 1996–2022, over 3,000 peer-reviewed papers in the Web of Science Core Collection database have investigated the fields. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of these papers for systematic mapping and inductive understanding to comprehensively review the research’s status, focus, network, and funding. After almost 30 years, the research is now centered in quantifying climate impacts on crop yields and agriculture productivity while seeking effective adaptation solutions. The hot keywords recently emerged include poverty, food security, water resource, climate service, climate-smart agriculture, sustainability, and policy. They suggest increasing concerns on global food and water shortage and pressing needs for action to adapt to climate change and sustain agricultural productivity. Given the uncertainty of climate change and the complexity of agriculture systems, most current studies are interdisciplinary research combining various agricultural fields with climate, environmental, and socioeconomic sciences. The United States, as the world’s leading food commodity producer, has the most diverse funding agencies and provides the largest number of awards to support the research. Future priority research should take the coupled earth system approach with the food-energy-water nexus principles to provide effective, actionable decision supports at local-regional scales to sustain national agricultural productivity and quantify climate-smart agricultural practices to mitigate global warming. 

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2. Board 245: Description, Assessment, and Outcomes of Several Interventions within a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT): Graduate Certificate, Field Trips, Internships and International Experiences

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--42688  

   Santillan-Jimenez, Eduardo; Schutzman, Carissa; Mabisi, Keren; Biswas, Apala (June 2023, ASEE Conferences)

   An ongoing National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) aims to enhance graduate education by integrating research and professional skill development within a diverse, inclusive, and supportive academy. This contribution will describe several interventions within this NRT, namely, a graduate certificate on Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems (INFEWS) – which is the research topic of the NRT – field trips to sites related to INFEWS, internships and international experiences. Moreover, the assessment and outcomes of each of these interventions will be discussed. A graduate certificate on INFEWS established through this NRT aims to 1) impart both conceptual and technical knowledge related to INFEWS to students; 2) provide them with training on key transferable skills; and 3) equip them to consider the societal, cultural, behavioral, and economic aspects of research on the food, energy, and water nexus. The starting point of the certificate is a multi-departmental and interdisciplinary course on INFEWS. In a subsequent semester students receive training on key transferrable skills in a course designed to integrate these skills with content covered in the foregoing INFEWS course. Completing these core courses gives students 6 of the 12 credit hours needed to attain the certificate. Students earn the other 6 credits by choosing from a list of elective courses. Notably, courses fulfill both certificate and degree requirements, so anticipated time-to-degree is not extended. The certificate is evaluated by assessing student learning outcomes with multiple measures, which include teacher course evaluations of individual courses, the rubric used to review a research proposal that students prepare in the transferable skills course, a professional skills dossier, competency assessments, and student post-surveys. While field trips to facilities related to INFEWS and internships at sites best aligned with their career interests – inside or outside academia – helped foster a sense of community among trainees and exposed them to various work sites and career paths, international experiences helped them gain a global perspective and appreciation for the international nature of STEM research. Evaluation data related to field trips, internships, and international experiences are collected via student focus group discussions, student post-surveys, student follow-up surveys, and alumni surveys. Additionally, the number and type of internships are tracked, and student placement with the internship host after graduation is also monitored. By sharing a description of these interventions and details about their evaluation as well as their outcomes, this contribution will inform practitioners interested in similar educational programs and experiences of both challenges and opportunities associated with these initiatives. In turn, this will help the higher education community in its pursuit to identify and implement the best and most effective practices. 

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3. Grassland and managed grazing policy review

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1010441  

   Rissman, Adena R.; Fochesatto, Ana; Lowe, Erin B.; Lu, Yu; Hirsch, Regina M.; Jackson, Randall D. (March 2023, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems)

   Perennial grasslands, including prairie and pasture, have declined with tremendous environmental and social costs. This decline reflects unequal policy support for grasslands and managed grazing compared to row crops. To create a resource for community partners and decision-makers, we reviewed and analyzed the policy tools and implementation capacity that supports and constrains grasslands and managed grazing in the U.S. Upper Midwest. Risk reduction subsidies for corn and soybeans far outpace the support for pasture. Some states lost their statewide grazing specialist when the federal Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative lapsed. The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service support for lands with prescribed grazing practices declined after 2005 but remained relatively steady 2010–2020. These results reveal the policy disadvantage for grasslands and managed grazing in comparison with row crop agriculture for milk and meat production. Grassland and grazing policies have an important nexus with water quality, biodiversity, carbon and outdoor recreation policy. Socially just transitions to well-managed, grazed grasslands require equity-oriented interventions that support community needs. We synthesized recommendations for national and state policy that farmers and other grazing professionals assert would support perennial grasslands and grazing, including changes in insurance, conservation programs, supply chains, land access, and fair labor. These policies would provide critical support for grass-based agriculture and prairies that we hope will help build soil, retain nutrients, reduce flooding and enhance biodiversity while providing healthy food, jobs, and communities. 

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4. Construction of Critical Periods for Water Resources Management and Their Application in the FEW Nexus

   https://doi.org/10.3390/w13050718  

   Schull, Val Z.; Mehan, Sushant; Gitau, Margaret W.; Johnson, David R.; Singh, Shweta; Sesmero, Juan P.; Flanagan, Dennis C. (March 2021, Water)

   null (Ed.)

   Amidst the growing population, urbanization, globalization, and economic growth, along with the impacts of climate change, decision-makers, stakeholders, and researchers need tools for better assessment and communication of the highly interconnected food–energy–water (FEW) nexus. This study aimed to identify critical periods for water resources management for robust decision-making for water resources management at the nexus. Using a 4610 ha agricultural watershed as a pilot site, historical data (2006–2012), scientific literature values, and SWAT model simulations were utilized to map out critical periods throughout the growing season of corn and soybeans. The results indicate that soil water deficits are primarily seen in June and July, with average deficits and surpluses ranging from −134.7 to +145.3 mm during the study period. Corresponding water quality impacts include average monthly surface nitrate-N, subsurface nitrate-N, and soluble phosphorus losses of up to 0.026, 0.26, and 0.0013 kg/ha, respectively, over the growing season. Estimated fuel requirements for the agricultural practices ranged from 24.7 to 170.3 L/ha, while estimated carbon emissions ranged from 0.3 to 2.7 kg CO2/L. A composite look at all the FEW nexus elements showed that critical periods for water management in the study watershed occurred in the early and late season—primarily related to water quality—and mid-season, related to water quantity. This suggests the need to adapt agricultural and other management practices across the growing season in line with the respective water management needs. The FEW nexus assessment methodologies developed in this study provide a framework in which spatial, temporal, and literature data can be implemented for improved water resources management in other areas. 

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5. Consequences of climate change on food-energy-water systems in arid regions without agricultural adaptation, analyzed using FEWCalc and DSSAT

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105309  

   Phetheet, Jirapat; Hill, Mary C.; Barron, Robert W.; Rossi, Matthew W.; Amanor-Boadu, Vincent; Wu, Hongyu; Kisekka, Isaya (May 2021, Resources, Conservation and Recycling)

   Effects of a changing climate on agricultural system productivity are poorly understood, and likely to be met with as yet undefined agricultural adaptations by farmers and associated business and governmental entities. The continued vitality of agricultural systems depends on economic conditions that support farmers’ livelihoods. Exploring the long-term effects of adaptations requires modeling agricultural and economic conditions to engage stakeholders upon whom the burden of any adaptation will rest. Here, we use a new freeware model FEWCalc (Food-Energy-Water Calculator) to project farm incomes based on climate, crop selection, irrigation practices, water availability, and economic adaptation of adding renewable energy production. Thus, FEWCalc addresses United Nations Global Sustainability Goals No Hunger and Affordable and Clean Energy. Here, future climate scenario impacts on crop production and farm incomes are simulated when current agricultural practices continue so that no agricultural adaptations are enabled. The model Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) with added arid-region dynamics is used to simulate agricultural dynamics. Demonstrations at a site in the midwest USA with 2008–2017 historical data and two 2018–2098 RCP climate scenarios provide an initial quantification of increased agricultural challenges under climate change, such as reduced crop yields and increased financial losses. Results show how this finding is largely driven by increasing temperatures and changed distribution of precipitation throughout the year. Without effective technological advances and operational and policy changes, the simulations show how rural areas could increasingly depend economically on local renewable energy, while agricultural production from arid regions declines by 50% or more. 

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