In this series, we're sitting down with Swette Center affiliated faculty to catch up on food systems, innovation, and what makes a good meal. See the rest of the series on our Faculty Profiles page.
Read on for an interview with Junyu Lu, Assistant Professor at Hainan University/ASU Joint International Tourism College (HAITC)
How did you become interested in food systems issues?
My interest in food systems and its connection to climate and weather was sparked by my experience in my hometown, which has faced more and more severe drought during the past two decades. I witnessed firsthand how these drought events affected local agriculture and local livelihoods. Plants withered, crops failed, and farmers lost their income and struggled to keep and maintain their livelihoods. These early experiences made me deeply aware of the vulnerability of agriculture to changing weather patterns. Over years of learning and exploration, I learned that the increased frequency and severity of droughts were not just random incidents, but part of a larger hydrological pattern influenced by climate change and global warming. This inspired me to investigate how climate change and associated increases in drought influence food systems, and how these systems and farmers can better adapt to these challenges.
Can you share a glimpse of your current research and how it applies to food systems transformation?
My research related to agriculture mainly has two aspects. First, climate change could alter hydrometeorological patterns and increase the severity of extreme weather such as drought and heat waves, which impose great threats to agricultural systems and socioeconomic sectors. One of my research pipelines is the physical aspect of the linkage between climate change and agricultural systems. For example, examining how climate change influences the frequency, severity, and spatial extent of agricultural drought by using climate models and investigating how drought affects agricultural productivity, as well as how to quantify and monitor drought using diverse datasets such as remote sensing-based earth observations, numeric models, and in-situ weather observations. Second, the adverse impact of climate change and extreme weather is not only driven by the severity and duration of the extreme event itself, but also depends on how human beings respond and adapt to these climate-related hazards.
Another pipeline of my research is related to the social dimension of agricultural systems. For example, how extensions and educators can engage agricultural communities to adopt strategies, such as conservation practices and climate-driven decision support tools, to adapt to climate change and extreme weather. Lastly, with growing volumes and varieties of available big datasets on climate, agriculture, and satellite observations, my research integrates advanced data science methodologies and big data analytics to inform agricultural sustainability, including advanced statistical methods, geographic information systems (GIS), high-performance computing (HPC), and machine learning.
What’s an innovation in the food systems world that you’re excited about?
Human beings have been cultivating crops for thousands of years. However, as the agricultural system expanded to meet the growing population, especially since the Industrial Revolution, agriculture started to have significant impacts on the environment. The widespread use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and intensive and uniform farming have led to many negative impacts, such as soil erosion, water pollution, and land degradation. While these new farming techniques boosted food production and fed a growing population, the negative aspect cannot be ignored.
Luckily, in recent decades, governments, conservation agencies, and universities have acknowledged this issue and have been working to develop and promote sustainable agricultural practices by encouraging farmers to use cover crops, conservation tillage, filter strips, and other methods to enrich soil fertility, reduce soil erosion, and improve water quality. Moreover, some new technological innovations, like precision agriculture, can manage crops and soil in a precise manner, which can optimize crop productivity and reduce nutrient leaching. Agricultural conservation practices have also been recognized as important for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Some conservation practices, such as cover crops and conservation tillage, can improve soil fertility and carbon sequestration. Others, such as crop diversification and agroforestry, can increase biodiversity, promote ecosystem services, and enhance the resilience of agriculture to climate change and extreme weather.
What’s your favorite weeknight meal?
My favorite weeknight meal is fried rice with scrambled eggs, corn, peas, ham, and green onions. Sometimes, I add some chili sauce. I ate this a lot when I was young.