My research program is interested in the sustainability of our land resource base. My students and I are concerned about issues such as global food security, climate change, and deforestation. We think about questions such as: How can we feed 10 billion people while reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture? Can organic farming be part of this solution? How might climate change affect future crop yields? How might climate change in Canada alter the functioning of the Boreal forest ecosystem? How does urban expansion influence land change in different parts of the world? Is urbanization good for the global environment?
We typically study these questions on regional-to-global scales, by developing global data sets of the world’s land cover and land use, and also global data analysis and modelling tools to explore agriculture-environment interactions and tradeoffs. I am also interested in regional-scale landuse-environment interactions, chiefly in Canada and India.
Current student/postdoc projects include: 1) a global analysis of the food, environmental, and livelihood tradeoffs of organic agriculture; 2) A modelling project on how fires, insects, and land-use in the Canadian Boreal forest modify climate; and 3) Examining the influence of urban expansion on land-cover change in the Calgary-Edmonton corridor. A couple of new projects in India will examine the impact of climate change on crop production, and the relationship between landscape configuration, crop yields and biodiversity in Kerala.
My research program is housed in the Global Land and Water lab, shared with Professor Bernhard Lehner. Together, we formed a vibrant research group that addresses global and regional issues related to the sustainability of land and water resources.