Meha Jain, an associate professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability, has been awarded the inaugural ASU-Science Prize for Transformational Impact. This award, a collaboration between Arizona State University and the renowned publication Science, honors research that advances knowledge while serving societal needs. Jain’s pioneering work employs satellite imagery and machine learning to study smallholder farms, crucial for global food security, and how they adapt to climate change.
Her research highlights these farms’ adoption of sustainable practices and the hidden costs associated with them, offering vital insights into increasing food production sustainably. Jain’s approach is inspired by the real-world challenges faced by smallholder farmers, informing her focus on developing relevant satellite datasets. Her team aims to detect regional irrigation practices, revealing the environmental impacts of farm management.
During her work in India, she discovered many farmers were turning to groundwater as a response to climate stress, despite recognizing its unsustainability. “What really struck me was that this wasn’t a knowledge gap,” Jain stated. This realization shifted her research focus toward understanding the prevalence and risks of groundwater overuse.
By analyzing satellite data, Jain’s team uncovered alarming groundwater depletion levels in some areas, while others showed resilience due to historical practices. Her findings emphasize the complex trade-offs in climate adaptation, where short-term solutions can exacerbate long-term resource depletion.
Jain’s research seeks to provide nuanced, scalable insights to develop sustainable management strategies. Her vision includes providing precision insights at the farm level, with plans to launch a smartphone app delivering satellite-derived data to farmers in practical formats. Jain’s journey from viewing satellites as observational tools to using them for actionable insights underscores her evolving commitment to impactful science.
Jain encourages scientists to pursue their passions, emphasizing that rigorous research and societal impact are complementary. “Follow what motivates you,” Jain advises, urging researchers to focus on meaningful problems rather than chasing high-impact publications.
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