Conversion of high quality agricultural lands to residential and urban uses is a longstanding concern in america's intermountain west, where over 7 million acres of farmland have been removed from…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Boise State University $118,288 under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) on May 1, 2026.

The project, a predoctoral research training initiative running through April 30, 2028, systematically identifies farmland for protection in Idaho's Snake River Plain that provides the highest ecosystem services for the lowest cost, characterizes distinct pathways of farmland loss across the Western U.S. to inform policy, and develops undergraduate-level teaching materials and authentic research experiences in data science and agricultural sustainability. The work addresses agricultural land conversion in the Intermountain West, where over 7 million acres of farmland have been removed from operation since 2002. The research supports the AFRI Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment priority area and aligns with AFRI Education and Workforce Development goals by supporting an aspiring professor to build pedagogical skills and curricular materials in data science applied to agricultural sustainability. Performance takes place in Boise, Idaho.

Conversion of high quality agricultural lands to residential and urban uses is a longstanding concern in america's intermountain west, where over 7 million acres of farmland have been removed from operation since 2002. As agricultural lands are developed, the unique mix of ecosystem services [ES] that they provide are irreversibly lost. Local institutions are seeking guidance on how to allocate limited resources to curb agricultural land loss, yet are limited by the lack of knowledge about how to protect farmlands social-ecological contexts. This training project applies cutting-edge data science and social-ecological research approaches in the snake river plain of idaho, which is experiencing farmland loss dynamics characteristic of the western U.S. The objectives of this predoctoral research project are: (1) systematically identify farmlands for protection that provide the most ES for the lowest cost, (2) characterize archetypes, or distinct pathways of farmland loss that commonly occur in the western U.S., to better inform farmland protection policy, and (3) develop a portfolio of undergraduate-level teaching materials and authentic research experiences in data science. This project supports the afri bioenergy, natural resources, and environment priority area by developing a framework to systematically identify how to protect the best farmland for the lowest cost. The project also supports the afri education and workforce development goals by supporting an aspiring professor to develop pedagogical skills and curricular materials in the field of data science and agricultural sustainability.