Researchers with Agricultural & Resource Economics and Geographical Sciences are collaborating to develop decision-making tools for farmers to adapt to a changing climate and improve productivity
Kansas wheat, a common rainfed crop
Image Credit: Edwin Remsberg
In a nearly $10 million project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), UMD researchers are partnering with project lead Kansas State University (KSU), Oklahoma State University (OSU), and the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) El Reno to improve soil health, nutrient and water use efficiencies, and overall agricultural productivity in the Southern Great Plains states. As a part of this multi-institutional consortium known as the Rainfed Agricultural Innovation Network (RAIN), the Department of Geographical Sciences in UMD’s College of Behavioral & Social Sciences are leading a modeling team that will develop a real-time decision making system for farmers based on conditions of the season, while Bob Chambers in the Department of Agricultural & Resources Economics in UMD’s College of Agriculture & Natural Resources will try to make sense of the recommendations and discuss implications for agricultural productivity.
