IRES Track I: U.S.-Thailand: Lasting consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on landscape change in tropical crop cultivation

美国人获得热带作物的机会受到COVID-19大流行的严重影响。研究证实了这场全球危机对整个热带地区农业系统的直接影响;然而，COVID-19对热带农业系统的长期影响仍然未知。特别是，作物种植是农业供应链的一个组成部分。虽然疫情显然暂时中断了种植，但目前尚不清楚种植格局是否会缓慢恢复或永久改变，这是由多种与COVID-19相关的生物物理和社会经济因素驱动的，例如，作物种植面积或种类以及栽培方法。这种不确定性可能对美国经济、地区贸易和粮食安全产生负面影响。该项目旨在通过为美国本科生和研究生，特别是来自代表性不足群体的学生提供一个独特的机会来研究COVID-19对热带作物种植景观变化的持久影响，从而解决这一知识差距。共有18名美国学生将被招募到泰国从事这一项目，泰国是南亚和东南亚热带产品向美国的最大供应国。IRES的学生将由来自朱拉隆功大学和泰国国立法政大学的夏洛特教师和泰国导师共同培训，在基于队列的活动中，他们将对热带食品系统，地球观测大数据分析，混合方法研究和土地利用科学进行国际理解。国际经验将进一步拓宽美国学生的视野，通过在农业和城市化社区的实地考察和在曼谷的校园研究活动，让他们接触农村和城市文化。该项目还提供了独特的机会，将IRES学生与其他领域的专业人士联系起来，例如不平等研究，生态可持续性和热带地区的生物多样性。该项目在三个密集的夏季课程中解决了三个相互关联的研究问题：（i）大流行前和大流行后用于作物种植的土地使用有什么不同？(ii)大流行病如何影响作物种植的社会和生物物理驱动因素，以及产生了什么影响？(iii)未来的农业格局是否会回到大流行前的状态？如果是，有多快？如果不是，会有什么不同？每年，将招募6名学生（5名本科生和1名研究生），重点是代表性不足的群体。第一组将开发一个先进的地理空间模型，以提取作物的位置和面积。第二组将对农民和主要利益攸关方进行不限成员名额的调查和访谈，以深入了解这一流行病与热带农业做法之间的关系。第三组将把第一组和第二组的结果联合收割机结合起来，模拟未来土地使用变化的轨迹。学生将接受培训，学习土地利用模型，评估定性数据，并通过学生主导的研讨会，学习与该地区的决策者和利益相关者交流混合方法STEM研究的有效方法。我们的项目使一个队列的经验，参与的学生将有个人项目，这将共同协调，以解决三个研究问题。该项目由国际科学与工程办公室（OISE）资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Americans’ access to tropical crops has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies confirmed the immediate impacts of this global crisis on the agricultural system across the tropics; however, the long-term impact of COVID-19 on tropical agriculture systems remains unknown. In particular, crop cultivation is an integral part of the agriculture supply chain. While the pandemic apparently disrupts cultivation tentatively, it is unclear whether there may be a slow recovery or a permanent change in the cultivation landscape, driven by diverse, COVID-19-relevant biophysical and socioeconomic factors, e.g., crop acreage or types, and cultivation methods. Such uncertainty could have a downward impact on U.S. economy, regional trade, and food security. This project aims to address this knowledge gap by providing U.S. undergraduate and graduate students, particularly students from underrepresented groups, a unique opportunity to study the lasting consequences of COVID-19 on landscape change in tropical crop cultivation. A total of 18 U.S. students will be recruited to work on this project in Thailand, which is the largest supplier of tropical products from South and Southeast Asia to the United States. Jointly trained by UNC Charlotte faculty and Thai mentors from Chulalongkorn University and Thammasat University, IRES students will develop an international understanding of tropical food systems, Earth observation big data analytics, mixed methods research, and land-use science during the cohort-based activities. The international experiences will further broaden U.S. students’ horizons by exposing them to rural and urban cultures via fieldwork in agricultural and urbanizing communities and on-campus research activities in Bangkok. This project also offers unique opportunities to connect IRES students with professionals in other fields, such as inequality studies, ecological sustainability, and biodiversity in the tropics. Together, these experiences will prepare students to chart pathways into STEM and related careers.The project addresses three interrelated research questions during three intensive summer sessions: (i) What are the differences in pre- and post-pandemic land use for crop cultivation? (ii) How does the pandemic affect the social and biophysical drivers in crop cultivation and to what effect? (iii) Will the future agricultural landscape return to a pre-pandemic state? If yes, how fast? If not, what will be different? Each year, a cohort of six students (five undergraduate and one graduate student) will be recruited with an emphasis on underrepresented groups. Cohort one will develop a cutting-edge geospatial model to extract location and acreage of crops. Cohort two will implement open-ended surveys and interviews with farmers and key stakeholders to develop an in-depth understanding of the relationship between the pandemic and tropical agricultural practices. Cohort three will combine results from cohort one and cohort two to simulate trajectories of future land-use change. Students will be trained to study land-use models, evaluate qualitative data, and learn effective ways to communicate mixed methods STEM research with decision makers and stakeholders in the region through student-led workshops. Our project enables a cohort experience, where the participating students will have individual projects, which together will be coordinated to address the three research questions. This project is funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.