Thirty-six researchers and collaborators from 10 countries, and 12 states within the U.S. gathered to learn about the annual progress and discuss future opportunities for the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification (SIIL). The theme for the meeting held in Manhattan, KS, was: Collaborate, Learn, Adapt.
Collaborate.
Participants started the meeting with a knowledge sharing activity. Scientists from each project shared their progress and future plans via poster and small group discussion. Each table formulated questions and comments regarding their work. This was a great opportunity to foster collaboration between researchers of different expertise. Nutritionists, gender specialists, and farming systems experts were able to offer input and guidance on how to best incorporate these disciplines into their work. Each project was able to consider their work from varying viewpoints, ensuring that each domain of sustainable intensification (SI) was being considered and implemented.
Learn.
Attendees shared how each sub-award is holistically evaluating SI in their research across five domains: productivity, environment, economic, human condition, and social. This knowledge sharing activity culminated with a training on the sustainable intensification assessment framework and how to assess critical trade-offs across these multidisciplinary domains.
Prior to the annual meeting, capacity building sessions were offered to SIIL regional coordinators and graduate students at Kansas State regarding scientific writing, leadership, soil health, communication, and geospatial data collection tools. The capacity building sessions offered a great chance to learn and refine skills.
Adapt.
After learning about the SI assessment framework, participants adapted similar methods to operationalize these indicators into their projects. Use of the sustainable intensification assessment framework will provide consistency across the lab and a multidisciplinary understanding of SI from country to country.
Special appearances were made by several distinguished figures. Dr. April Mason, Provost and Senior Vice President of Kansas State University, came to share Kansas State University’s commitment to international research. “It is great that you’re doing such important work while you’re engaging junior faculty, senior faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students in that work”
Dr. John Floros, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Director of K-State Research and Extension, spoke about the Global Food Systems Initiative at Kansas State University and its relation to SIIL. He continued by talking about the rich history of interdisciplinary work at Kansas State through K-State Research and Extension. Finally, he addressed the group with an encouraging message regarding their work and the outputs of their projects, “I hope you have the ability and energy to really produce some solutions as we move this project forward because if we don’t succeed we’re all going to lose. If we do succeed, we’re all going to win.”
It was very fortuitous that Dr. Achim Dobermann, Director of Rothamsted Research, was at Kansas State University for the Chuck and Sue Rice International Agronomy Lecture series. He presented the team with results from long-term research related to sustainable intensification.
