Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES)
An interdisciplinary, science-to-practice platform to study landscape-level challenges
The Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES) establishes a novel environment for accelerating solutions to persistently "wicked" landscape-level challenges centered on agriculture, food, and the environment. The science of agricultural sustainability underpins the mission of SAFES and provides a comprehensive approach to the complexity of challenges which integrates natural and social sciences with technological advancements, human behavior, economics, and policy.
SAFES integrates agriculturally and environmentally related disciplines to develop holistic approaches for tackling "wicked" challenges.
SAFES trains the next generation of researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers in integrating information from across domains and using science-based data for decision making.
SAFES shortens the distance between science and practice by actively connecting biophysical scientists with sociologists, communication scientists and educators. This work is led by the Agriculture and Environment Center through a shared discovery engagement process.
Upcoming Events
Distinguished Speaker Series: Jessica Hellmann; Answering the call for a new climate science
February 3, 2022
312 Ag Engineering Building
Distinguished Speaker Series: Cathy Kling
March 24, 2022
312 Ag Engineering Building
Distinguished Speaker Series: Dan Sanchez
April 14, 2022
312 Ag Engineering Building
Distinguished Speaker Series: Joan Rose
April 28, 2022
312 Ag Engineering Building
Latest News
January 19, 2022
Farmers in 14 counties will be surveyed on their use of conservation practices
If you're a farm operator in 14 central Pennsylvania counties, you now have a chance to highlight what steps you have taken to protect and enhance water quality for your local streams and the Chesapeake Bay.
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January 18, 2022
Integrated modeling of climate impacts on electricity demand and cost
Around the world, energy systems are increasingly impacted by the effects of a changing climate. Energy systems, especially the electric-power system, are vulnerable to natural stressors such as wildfires, severe storms, extreme temperatures and long-term disruptions of the hydrological cycle.
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January 17, 2022
Entomologists to study how climate change may influence pollinator stressors
A Penn State-led team of researchers will use a newly awarded $682,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to examine how climate change may influence and interact with various stressors that affect the health of pollinators.
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January 5, 2022
Dairy farmers can adapt to climate change
Dairy farmers in the Northeast — facing a warming climate that exacerbates nutrient pollution but lengthens the growing season — can reduce the environmental impact of their operations and maximize revenues by double cropping and injecting manure into the soil, rather than broadcasting it.
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