Recipient Organization
UNIV OF CONNECTICUT
438 WHITNEY RD EXTENSION UNIT 1133
STORRS,CT 06269
Performing Department
Agricultural and Resource Economics
Non Technical Summary
Agriculture is the biggest water user sector, accounting for 70% of water withdrawal worldwide. Thus, the increasing imbalance between rapidly growing demand for water in all world regions and available water resources threatens the viability of the sector. Between 1960 and 1995, water use increased 90%, paralleling population growth and it is expected to increase 37% between 1995 and 2025 (Shiklomanov, 2000). By the same token, water quality continues to deteriorate, threatening the entire watershed from land to sea. Effective watershed management and policy become essential under water scarcity and declining quality conditions. Maintaining enough water for agriculture of reasonable quality will be increasingly difficult due to climate change, competition for water with industries and urban users; and the need to produce biofuels. Improving water governance through integrated water resources and watershed management is widely recognized as a critical need world-wide. It will be important to assess how water can best be governed in specific basin contexts to address this challenge. This project seeks to train five M.S. USDA Fellows in the National Targeted Expertise Shortage Area (TESA) of Agricultural Management and Economics, specifically Resource Economics, through a a comprehensive, interdisciplinary M.S. program with strong resource economics and natural science training, (2) internships that provide experiential learning and career connections in leading domestic and international organizations dealing with watershed management (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency, Seagrant, International Water Management Institute, WorldFish), and (3) a highly diverse and multicultural environment. The proposed Fellows program builds upon the existing graduate program in environmental and resource economics (ranked 15th worldwide) and collaboration with Civil and Environmental Engineering. The program includes assessments and follow-ups, and takes advantage of UConn's strategic location for recruitment and placement. The project will have significant impacts by: (1) adding five outstanding resource economists to critical niches in academia, industry and/or government-economists able to provide a balanced trans-disciplinary perspective on emerging watershed management problems, (2) generating the Fellow's own research publications and presentations at professional meetings, (3) spurring programmatic developments and additional extramural grant activity in resource economics/water management, and (4) dissemination of project outcomes to peers and the public at large.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
This project proposes training five M.S. USDA Fellows in the National Targeted Expertise Shortage Area (TESA) of Agricultural Management and Economics (specifically, Resource Economics), under the discipline/program of Agricultural Economics and Management (code M). Four IRTAs are also sought. In the face of increasing water scarcity, one of the most pressing needs for food production is improving water governance through integrated watershed management. The USDA Fellows who join the University of Connecticut to become resource economists with a watershed management specialization will have several unique opportunities to develop professionally including (1) a comprehensive, interdisciplinary M.S. program with strong resource economics and natural science training, (2) internships that provide experiential learning and career connections in leading domestic and international organizations dealing with watershed management (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency, Seagrant, International Water Management Institute, WorldFish), and (3) a highly diverse and multicultural environment. The proposed Fellows program builds upon the existing graduate program in environmental and resource economics (ranked 15th worldwide) and collaboration with Civil and Environmental Engineering. The program includes assessments and follow-ups, and takes advantage of UConn's strategic location for recruitment and placement. The project will have significant impacts by: (1) adding five outstanding resource economists to critical niches in academia, industry and/or government, economists able to provide a balanced trans-disciplinary perspective on emerging watershed management problems, (2) generating the Fellow's own research publications and presentations at professional meetings, (3) spurring programmatic developments and additional extramural grant activity in resource economics/water management, and (4) dissemination of project outcomes to peers and the public at large.
Project Methods
The Fellows will be expected to attain three core competencies:(1)resource economics as a field of specialization;(2)an interdisciplinary understanding of contemporary watershed management and policy;(3)institutional knowledge of organizations dealing with watershed issues, both domestically and internationally, obtained through coursework,summer internships, and an independent study on a contemporary watershed issue. Each Fellow will be required to have at least 12 credits in a support area in natural disciplines related to watershed management, including hydrology and watershed management and policy. Internships have been arranged at leading organizations specifically dealing with watershed issues for a 10 week assignment starting in June 2010 and 2011 at The Environmental Protection Agency, Connecticut Sea Grant at Avery Point, Consultative Group in International Agricultural Research,and Addis Ababa University. Fellows will have the opportunity for support and interaction with other researchers through the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering at UConn. Fellows will also be encouraged to participate in professional meetings by presenting papers and networking, and to engage in the ongoing research of faculty.The project directors will meet on an established, regular basis to discuss assessment, monitoring and guidance of Fellows. Job placements obtained by Fellows or placement into Ph.D. programs will be a final criterion for evaluating the proposed Fellows program. Each student selects an advisory committee, which consists of a major professor and two or more faculty members, one of whom will be from another department (natural science), who serve as mentors. The advisory committee assists the student in developing a plan of study, and at least one of the Co-PDs of this project will be a member of the Fellows' committees. Evaluation of program results and dissemination will be conducted through both formal (e.g. progress reports) and informal (ad hoc discussions with fellows and faculty) mechanisms. Where possible, evaluation will be conducted in terms of quantifiable milestones set at the outset of the program, based on a detailed Implementation and Evaluation Plan that specifies metrics of performance towards established milestones, providing clear baselines for evaluation, and will follow Implementation Plan models developed for the Connecticut Sea Grant College Program. We will also use existing institutional channels for evaluation that deal with these types of functions. Project directors will issue a report containing the project goals, desirable outcomes and an assessment of the actual outcomes and impacts. The Fellows themselves will also evaluate outcomes when completing their program and 12 months after completion, with suggestions for improvement. All evaluations will also be sent to the funding agency. The major advisor of each Fellow's dissertation committee will be assigned to track the post-graduate progress of the Fellow for 12 months after graduation. PD Lopez will report directly to the funding agency.