LUGE RESEARCH PROGRAM
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Developing Data
Agriculture is one of the major drivers of global environmental change, implicated in climate change, biodiversity loss, and degradation of water resources. Despite this, there is scant information on the global extent and spatial patterns of even the most obvious land use practices such as cultivation and grazing. Therefore, we are developing methods to characterize the spatial patterns of current and historical agricultural land use using a synthesis of satellite and ground-based data sources. Our land use data sets are used widely for a variety of applications including climate and ecosystem modeling, analysis of food production and food security, global economic modeling, and evaluating consequences for ecosystem structure and functioning.
Current projects (2019)
· Developing an interactive web app to display the impacts on yield of different agricultural practices (AgEvidence project led by Zia Mehrabi; funded by NSERC and Genome Canada)
· Consolidating and harmonizing Canadian agricultural data from a variety of sources (many participants include Ginni Braich, Matthew Mitchell, Susanna Klassen, Julie Fortin; funded by Alberta Innovates, SSHRC, UBC)
· Gathering data on farm size globally and related implications (many participants include Christian Levers, Dana James, Susanna Klassen, Vinny Ricciardi; funded by SSHRC)
Past projects
· Developing new global data on cropland and pasture in 2005 (GEOSHARE project led by Dany Plouffe; funded by USDA/Purdue and CCAFS/ILRI)
· Identifying regions of rapid changes in cropland and pasture from 2000-2010 (MSc thesis of Lisa Ribaudo; funded by CCAFS/ILRI and NSERC)
· Characterizing land-cover change in Latin America from 2000-2012 (PhD thesis of Jordan Graesser; funded by NSERC)
· Reconstructing global cropland and pastures from 1700-2011 (led by Larissa Jarvis; funded by the Moore Foundation)
· Developing next generation data on agricultural land use (machinery, labor, farm size distribution, pesticide use, etc.) (led by Larissa Jarvis and Verena Seufert; funded by the Moore Foundation)
· Developing a global data set of crop calendars over the last two decades (led by Toshichika Iizumi)
Representative publications
· Ray, D. K., N. Ramankutty, N. D. Mueller, P. C. West, and J. A. Foley, Recent patterns of crop yield growth and stagnation, Nat Commun, 3, 1293, 2012.
· Ramankutty, N., E. Heller, and J. Rhemtulla, Prevailing Myths about Agricultural Abandonment and Forest Regrowth in the United States, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 100(3), 1-11, 2010.
· Barona, E., N. Ramankutty, G. Hyman, and O. T. Coomes, The role of pasture and soybean in deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon, Environmental Research Letters, 5(2), 024002, 2010.
· Potter, P., N. Ramankutty, E. Bennett, and S. Donner., Characterizing the Spatial Patterns of Global Fertilizer Application and Manure Production, Earth Interactions, 14, 2010.
· Ramankutty, N., A. Evan, C. Monfreda, and J. A. Foley, Farming the Planet. Part 1: The Geographic Distribution of Global Agricultural Lands in the Year 2000, Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles, doi:10.1029/2007GB002952, 2008.
· Monfreda, C., N. Ramankutty, and J. A. Foley, Farming the Planet. Part 2: The Geographic Distribution of Crop Areas and Yields in the Year 2000, Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles, doi:10.1029/2007GB002947, 2008.
Ramankutty, N., and J. Foley, Estimating Historical Changes in Global Land Cover: Croplands from 1700 to 1992, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 13, 997-1028, 1999.
Current projects (2019)
· Developing an interactive web app to display the impacts on yield of different agricultural practices (AgEvidence project led by Zia Mehrabi; funded by NSERC and Genome Canada)
· Consolidating and harmonizing Canadian agricultural data from a variety of sources (many participants include Ginni Braich, Matthew Mitchell, Susanna Klassen, Julie Fortin; funded by Alberta Innovates, SSHRC, UBC)
· Gathering data on farm size globally and related implications (many participants include Christian Levers, Dana James, Susanna Klassen, Vinny Ricciardi; funded by SSHRC)
Past projects
· Developing new global data on cropland and pasture in 2005 (GEOSHARE project led by Dany Plouffe; funded by USDA/Purdue and CCAFS/ILRI)
· Identifying regions of rapid changes in cropland and pasture from 2000-2010 (MSc thesis of Lisa Ribaudo; funded by CCAFS/ILRI and NSERC)
· Characterizing land-cover change in Latin America from 2000-2012 (PhD thesis of Jordan Graesser; funded by NSERC)
· Reconstructing global cropland and pastures from 1700-2011 (led by Larissa Jarvis; funded by the Moore Foundation)
· Developing next generation data on agricultural land use (machinery, labor, farm size distribution, pesticide use, etc.) (led by Larissa Jarvis and Verena Seufert; funded by the Moore Foundation)
· Developing a global data set of crop calendars over the last two decades (led by Toshichika Iizumi)
Representative publications
· Ray, D. K., N. Ramankutty, N. D. Mueller, P. C. West, and J. A. Foley, Recent patterns of crop yield growth and stagnation, Nat Commun, 3, 1293, 2012.
· Ramankutty, N., E. Heller, and J. Rhemtulla, Prevailing Myths about Agricultural Abandonment and Forest Regrowth in the United States, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 100(3), 1-11, 2010.
· Barona, E., N. Ramankutty, G. Hyman, and O. T. Coomes, The role of pasture and soybean in deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon, Environmental Research Letters, 5(2), 024002, 2010.
· Potter, P., N. Ramankutty, E. Bennett, and S. Donner., Characterizing the Spatial Patterns of Global Fertilizer Application and Manure Production, Earth Interactions, 14, 2010.
· Ramankutty, N., A. Evan, C. Monfreda, and J. A. Foley, Farming the Planet. Part 1: The Geographic Distribution of Global Agricultural Lands in the Year 2000, Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles, doi:10.1029/2007GB002952, 2008.
· Monfreda, C., N. Ramankutty, and J. A. Foley, Farming the Planet. Part 2: The Geographic Distribution of Crop Areas and Yields in the Year 2000, Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles, doi:10.1029/2007GB002947, 2008.
Ramankutty, N., and J. Foley, Estimating Historical Changes in Global Land Cover: Croplands from 1700 to 1992, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 13, 997-1028, 1999.
Interactions & Implications
How does land use influence the environment? How does climate change influence ecosystems, including agro-ecosystems? What are the implications for food security? We are developing analytical tools to investigate the interactions between global environmental change, land use change, and food security. We use statistical methods, GIS, and numerical ecosystem models in our work. We have developed a crop model, PEGASUS, to simulate the interactions between agriculture and the environment.
Current projects (2019)
· Studying the groundwater/water and energy inputs into food production in India (PhD thesis of Balsher Singh Sidhu; funded by NSERC)
· Modelling how agro-ecological zones will shift with climate change (led by Ginni Braich and Julie Fortin)
· Mapping areas of ecological and agricultural importance in Canada (led by Matthew Mitchell)
Past projects
· Simulating the impacts of climate change on crop yields using PEGASUS (led by Dany Plouffe; funded by the Moore Foundation)
· Estimating the impacts of extreme climate events on global crop yields (led by Corey Lesk; funded by NSERC)
· Evaluating the influence of climate change on the changing inter-annual variability of crop yields (led by Toshichika Iizumi)
· Investigating the association between agro-industrialization and food security in Latin America (led by Jordan Graesser; funded by NSERC)
· Evaluating the climate implications of fires and insects in the Canadian Boreal forest (led by Jean-Sébastien Landry; funded by NSERC)
Representative publications
· Deryng, D., W. J. Sacks, C. C. Barford, and N. Ramankutty, Simulating the effects of climate and agricultural management practices on global crop yield, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 25, GB2006, doi:10.1029/2009GB003765, 18 pp., 2011.
· Rowhani, P., D. B. Lobell, M. Linderman, and N. Ramankutty, Climate variability and crop production in Tanzania, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 151(4), 449-460, 2011.
· MacDonald, G. K., E. M. Bennett, P. A. Potter, and N. Ramankutty, Agronomic phosphorus imbalances across the world's croplands, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 3086-3091, 2011.
· Pelletier, J., N. Ramankutty, and C. Potvin, Diagnosing the uncertainty and detectability of emission reductions for REDD + under current capabilities: an example for Panama, Environ. Res. Lett., 6(2), 024005, 2011.
· Ahmed, S. A., N. S. Diffenbaugh, T. W. Hertel, D. B. Lobell, N. Ramankutty, A. R. Rios, and P. Rowhani, Climate volatility and poverty vulnerability in Tanzania, Global Environmental Change, 21(1), 46-55, 2011.
Current projects (2019)
· Studying the groundwater/water and energy inputs into food production in India (PhD thesis of Balsher Singh Sidhu; funded by NSERC)
· Modelling how agro-ecological zones will shift with climate change (led by Ginni Braich and Julie Fortin)
· Mapping areas of ecological and agricultural importance in Canada (led by Matthew Mitchell)
Past projects
· Simulating the impacts of climate change on crop yields using PEGASUS (led by Dany Plouffe; funded by the Moore Foundation)
· Estimating the impacts of extreme climate events on global crop yields (led by Corey Lesk; funded by NSERC)
· Evaluating the influence of climate change on the changing inter-annual variability of crop yields (led by Toshichika Iizumi)
· Investigating the association between agro-industrialization and food security in Latin America (led by Jordan Graesser; funded by NSERC)
· Evaluating the climate implications of fires and insects in the Canadian Boreal forest (led by Jean-Sébastien Landry; funded by NSERC)
Representative publications
· Deryng, D., W. J. Sacks, C. C. Barford, and N. Ramankutty, Simulating the effects of climate and agricultural management practices on global crop yield, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 25, GB2006, doi:10.1029/2009GB003765, 18 pp., 2011.
· Rowhani, P., D. B. Lobell, M. Linderman, and N. Ramankutty, Climate variability and crop production in Tanzania, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 151(4), 449-460, 2011.
· MacDonald, G. K., E. M. Bennett, P. A. Potter, and N. Ramankutty, Agronomic phosphorus imbalances across the world's croplands, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 3086-3091, 2011.
· Pelletier, J., N. Ramankutty, and C. Potvin, Diagnosing the uncertainty and detectability of emission reductions for REDD + under current capabilities: an example for Panama, Environ. Res. Lett., 6(2), 024005, 2011.
· Ahmed, S. A., N. S. Diffenbaugh, T. W. Hertel, D. B. Lobell, N. Ramankutty, A. R. Rios, and P. Rowhani, Climate volatility and poverty vulnerability in Tanzania, Global Environmental Change, 21(1), 46-55, 2011.
Seeking Solutions
Feeding the 1 in 7 billion who are hungry today, and the additional 2-3 billion people expected by the end of the century while lowering agriculture’s environmental footprint will be a major challenge. How can we improve the resource-use efficiency of conventional agriculture? How can we reduce food demand through shifting diets and reducing waste? Can alternate agricultural methods play an important role? This is a major question being addressed by our research group.
Current projects (2019)
· Assessing the relationship between the constitutional right to food and food security (PhD thesis of Laura Castrejón Violante)
· Studying inequality in access to food, food prices and climate shocks (PhD thesis of Juan Diego Martinez)
· Investigating Canadian agricultural adaptations to climate change (led by Ginni Braich; funded by Alberta Innovates)
Past projects
· Evaluating the environmental performance (biodiversity and nitrogen cycling) of organic agriculture relative to conventional (Verena Seufert, Andrea Reid, Morgan Boenke; funded by the Grantham Foundation)
· Evaluating organic agriculture as a strategy for South Indian farmers – understanding livelihood outcomes, barriers to and catalysts for adoption (Verena Seufert, Andrea Reid, Morgan Boenke; funded by SSHRC and Heller Family Fellowship in Arts and Sciences)
· Estimating changes in homegardens, an ancient sustainable agro-ecosystem of Kerala, southern India (MSc thesis of Thomas Fox; funded by NSERC, Government of Alberta, and IDRC ).
· Assessing the biodiversity of homegardens in Kerala, southern India (led by Corey Lesk; funded by NSERC USRA).
Representative Publications
· Martellozzo, F., J.-S. Landry, D. Plouffe, V. Seufert, P. Rowhani, and N. Ramankutty, Estimating the potential of urban agriculture to meet global urban vegetable demand, In prep.
· Badami, M. G., and N. Ramankutty, Urban agriculture and food security: urban land requirements to feed the urban poor, Global Food Security, Submitted.
· Ramankutty, N., and J. Rhemtulla, Can intensive farming save nature?, Front. Ecol. Environ., 10(9), 455-455, 2012.
· Seufert, V., N. Ramankutty, and J. A. Foley, Comparing the yields of organic and conventional agriculture, Nature, 485(7397), 229-232, 2012.
· Foley, J. A., N. Ramankutty, K. A. Brauman, E. S. Cassidy, J. S. Gerber, M. Johnston, N. D. Mueller, C. O'Connell, D. K. Ray, P. C. West, C. Balzer, E. M. Bennett, S. R. Carpenter, J. Hill, C. Monfreda, S. Polasky, J. Rockstrom, J. Sheehan, S. Siebert, D. Tilman, and D. P. M. Zaks, Solutions for a cultivated planet, Nature, 478(7369), 337-342, 2011.
· Licker, R., M. Johnston, J. A. Foley, C. Barford, C. J. Kucharik, C. Monfreda, and N. Ramankutty, Mind the gap: how do climate and agricultural management explain the ‘yield gap’ of croplands around the world?, Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr., 19(6), 769-782, 2010.
Current projects (2019)
· Assessing the relationship between the constitutional right to food and food security (PhD thesis of Laura Castrejón Violante)
· Studying inequality in access to food, food prices and climate shocks (PhD thesis of Juan Diego Martinez)
· Investigating Canadian agricultural adaptations to climate change (led by Ginni Braich; funded by Alberta Innovates)
Past projects
· Evaluating the environmental performance (biodiversity and nitrogen cycling) of organic agriculture relative to conventional (Verena Seufert, Andrea Reid, Morgan Boenke; funded by the Grantham Foundation)
· Evaluating organic agriculture as a strategy for South Indian farmers – understanding livelihood outcomes, barriers to and catalysts for adoption (Verena Seufert, Andrea Reid, Morgan Boenke; funded by SSHRC and Heller Family Fellowship in Arts and Sciences)
· Estimating changes in homegardens, an ancient sustainable agro-ecosystem of Kerala, southern India (MSc thesis of Thomas Fox; funded by NSERC, Government of Alberta, and IDRC ).
· Assessing the biodiversity of homegardens in Kerala, southern India (led by Corey Lesk; funded by NSERC USRA).
Representative Publications
· Martellozzo, F., J.-S. Landry, D. Plouffe, V. Seufert, P. Rowhani, and N. Ramankutty, Estimating the potential of urban agriculture to meet global urban vegetable demand, In prep.
· Badami, M. G., and N. Ramankutty, Urban agriculture and food security: urban land requirements to feed the urban poor, Global Food Security, Submitted.
· Ramankutty, N., and J. Rhemtulla, Can intensive farming save nature?, Front. Ecol. Environ., 10(9), 455-455, 2012.
· Seufert, V., N. Ramankutty, and J. A. Foley, Comparing the yields of organic and conventional agriculture, Nature, 485(7397), 229-232, 2012.
· Foley, J. A., N. Ramankutty, K. A. Brauman, E. S. Cassidy, J. S. Gerber, M. Johnston, N. D. Mueller, C. O'Connell, D. K. Ray, P. C. West, C. Balzer, E. M. Bennett, S. R. Carpenter, J. Hill, C. Monfreda, S. Polasky, J. Rockstrom, J. Sheehan, S. Siebert, D. Tilman, and D. P. M. Zaks, Solutions for a cultivated planet, Nature, 478(7369), 337-342, 2011.
· Licker, R., M. Johnston, J. A. Foley, C. Barford, C. J. Kucharik, C. Monfreda, and N. Ramankutty, Mind the gap: how do climate and agricultural management explain the ‘yield gap’ of croplands around the world?, Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr., 19(6), 769-782, 2010.
