US-India Planning Visit: Complex Interactions of Ecological and Socioeconomic Factors that Drive Sustainability of Ancient South Indian Agroecosystems

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1160768 Russell This award provides seed-funding for a visit to India for Dr. Ann Russell to catalyze a collaborative research project with scientists at Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) focusing on the Complex Interactions of Ecological and Socioeconomic Factors that Drive the Sustainability of Ancient South Indian Agro-Ecosystems. The collaborators are Dr. Russell, Department of Natural Resource Ecology & Management, Iowa State University and Drs. Mohan Kumar, Dean of the College of Forestry and Indira Devi, Professor of Environmental Economics at KAU. The planning visit will provide the foundation for new research that will explore the ecological and socioeconomic underpinnings of the 4000-yr-old agricultural systems in Kerala as well as facilitate the development of a proposal for the Catalyzing New International Collaborations solicitation. The findings from this exploratory work will provide the necessary background for a subsequent proposal to be submitted to the CNH (Dynamics of Coupled Natural and HumanSystems) Program. NSF funding will make it possible for the PI to organize a multi-disciplinary team to begin new research on the coupled effects of biogeochemical and socioeconomic factors in relation to the sustainability of South Indian agricultural systems. The ultimate goal of this series of projects is to develop a conceptual framework that advances understanding of the controls over sustainability for a broad array of agricultural systems. The inclusion of graduates and undergraduates in these projects will also provide unique international research experiences for US students.