Source: NCSU COLLEGE OF AG & LIFE SCIENCES, 9/9/20


Natalie Nelson, an assistant professor in NC State’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering was selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to serve as one of the 11 subject matter experts for the USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda.

The Agriculture Innovation Agenda is an endeavor to develop a new research and innovation strategy that aligns academic and industry research. The ultimate goal of the agenda is to increase agricultural production by 40% and decrease the environmental impact of agriculture by 50% by 2050.

One of four areas of focus for the agenda is prescriptive intervention, or combining on-farm sensors with science-based management plans to produce proactive interventions to prevent crop or livestock loss.

This is the area Nelson is an expert in. Her research program focuses on data analytics and integrated models to inform agriculture, aquaculture, water and coastal resources management.

She recently received an early career research fellowship from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies.

We talked with her to learn more about the Agriculture Innovation Agenda and her hopes for the future of agriculture

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