NSF Award
2307519
Faced with global climate change, farmers must learn to cope with the altered timing of when to plant crops, reduced crop production, and more pests like insects and fungi. One solution farmers have turned to is increased reliance on and use of pesticides. The increase in pesticides can create problems for agricultural systems that aim to provide healthy food and protected areas. For instance, national parks often aim to conserve two different adjacent land uses. This is especially true in regions with tropical forests. The increased use of pesticides in response to climate change often overlooks consequences for both humans and wildlife. Therefore, this research project will examine how variables such as rainfall, pest pressure on crops, previous land use, and pesticide and labor availability around a tropical forest-agricultural system in Uganda (Kibale National Park) interact to influence human and wildlife well-being through tradeoffs between food production and pesticide exposure. This research will also increase the understanding of tradeoffs between agricultural practices, human well-being, and conservation of biodiversity globally. In addition to the scientific research, the researchers will train students from underserved communities and postdoctoral scholars. This project will provide training about connections between climate variability, land use change, pest pressure on crops, agricultural practices, food security, and pesticide exposure and practical options to manage and mitigate risk. The project will work with the Uganda Wildlife Authority to enhance public awareness regarding pesticide use. Tools will be employed to educate local and national media on proper pesticide application and ways to reduce pesticide exposure to people and wildlife.<br/><br/>To accomplish the project’s goals, the researchers will use a unique approach based on methodology and theory from the diverse fields of geography, environmental chemistry, anthropology, human biology, and wildlife ecology. Specifically, the researchers will (1) quantify environmental pressure across multiple farms around Kibale National Park; (2) evaluate household decisions about pesticide use; (3) measure concentrations of pesticides across the landscape; (4) determine exposure to pesticides in wildlife using feces and in humans using silicone wristbands; (5) determine susceptibility to pesticide exposure using measures of cortisol in saliva for humans and feces for wildlife; and (6) model relationships and feedback loops across environmental and social components of the socio-environmental system using an agent-based model.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
