The grant will enhance and enrich the knowledge of students and faculty in the U.S. about sustainable management practices being adopted in developing countries, such as India, and spawn new international research collaborations, according to Shreeram Inamdar, assistant professor of bioresources engineering, who is leading the project.
Other faculty members who are part of the team are Titus Awokuse, associate professor of food and resource economics; Joshua Duke, professor of natural resource management; Dave Hansen, associate professor of soil and environmental quality and agricultural program leader for UD Cooperative Extension; and Tom Sims, T. A. Baker Professor of Soil and Environmental Chemistry and associate dean for academic programs and research.
The project is being conducted in collaboration with the United Nations International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), with headquarters near Hyderabad, India.
“The sustainable watershed project meshes well with the principles of UD's new Path to Prominence™--strengthening global and University-wide partnerships, expanding the cultural and social perspectives of our students, looking towards the future of the planet, and promoting the professional development of our faculty and staff,” Sims said, adding, “It is an exciting time for us to embark on this project.”
ICRISAT scientists have been monitoring the impact of these innovative practices on water and soil quality, crop productivity, ecology and socio-economic conditions in the targeted watersheds. The benchmark watersheds, with their wealth of data and information, provide an excellent opportunity to further our understanding of sustainable agriculture and watershed management practices in the semi-arid tropics.
“This knowledge is especially pertinent in an increasingly global world where scientists are being asked to travel across national borders to address water, land, and food problems and disputes; where invasive species are moving across continental boundaries; and where ecosystems and species are under continuous threat of extinction,” Inamdar said. “In terms of students and faculty, this is an excellent opportunity to enrich their knowledge of science and watershed management in settings that are very different from what we experience here in the U.S.”
Inamdar and the college's research team will use this information to enrich the international content of eight existing UD courses. In addition, they will develop a new online course on sustainable watershed management practices in developing countries. As an extension of the program, they will provide a hands-on experience to selected UD students and faculty through visits to ICRISAT watersheds in India.
The research team also will evaluate the production and marketing constraints to the development of value-added agricultural industries in India and other Asian developing economies. This information will be passed along to UD Cooperative Extension personnel to provide fresh international perspectives on sustainable watershed management and also will be used to develop and share curricular materials with high school students in Delaware.
“This will be an opportunity for the exchange of ideas for people in both locations, the U.S. and India, to share knowledge and utilize new strategies in their own areas. We hope that this work will initiate new research collaborations between UD faculty and scientists at ICRISAT,” Inamdar said.
Interested students should contact Inamdar at [inamdar@udel.edu] for more information. Other UD faculty members who may be interested in participating in educational and research opportunities on this project are also encouraged to contact members of the project team. A project Website describing the scope, objectives and research and educational opportunities will be available soon.
Article by Katy O'Connell
