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途径受到新冠肺炎疫情的严重影响。研究证实了这场全球危机对整个热带农业系统的直接影响；然而，新冠肺炎对热带农业系统的长期影响尚不清楚。特别是，作物种植是农业供应链的组成部分。虽然这场大流行显然暂时中断了种植，但尚不清楚种植格局可能会缓慢恢复还是永久改变，这是由各种与新冠肺炎相关的生物物理和社会经济因素推动的，例如作物种植面积或类型以及耕作方法。这种不确定性可能会对美国经济、地区贸易和粮食安全产生下行影响。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，研究新冠肺炎对热带作物种植中的景观变化的持久影响，来弥补这一知识鸿沟。泰国是南亚和东南亚向美国出口热带产品的最大供应国，总共将招募18名美国学生参与这个项目。由北卡罗来纳大学夏洛特分校的教师以及朱拉隆功大学和法政大学的泰国导师联合培训的IRES学生将在基于队列的活动中发展对热带食物系统、地球观测大数据分析、混合方法研究和土地利用科学的国际理解。国际经验将进一步拓宽美国学生的视野，通过在曼谷的农业和城市化社区的实地考察和校园研究活动，让他们接触到农村和城市文化。该项目还提供了独特的机会，将IRES的学生与其他领域的专业人员联系起来，如不平等研究、生态可持续性和热带生物多样性。总之，这些经验将为学生规划进入STEM和相关职业的道路做好准备。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)疫情爆发前和疫情后用于作物种植的土地使用有什么不同？(2)这一流行病如何影响作物种植中的社会和生物物理驱动因素？影响如何？(3)未来的农业景观是否会恢复到大流行前的状态？如果是，速度有多快？如果不是，有什么不同呢？每年将招聘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。Cohort One将开发一种尖端的地理空间模型，以提取作物的位置和种植面积。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。第三组将结合第一组和第二组的结果来模拟未来土地利用变化的轨迹。学生将接受培训，学习土地利用模型，评估定性数据，并学习通过学生主导的研讨会与该地区的决策者和利益攸关方交流混合方法STEM研究的有效方法。我们的项目实现了分组体验，参与其中的学生将有单独的项目，这些项目将一起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智力优势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.