D (Divya) Pandey

A major focus of my work is to understand how plant and soil systems interact with the biophysical environment, and how this intersects with socioeconomic and policy mechanisms around the food system. Specifically, I have focused on co-existing environmental and climatic stresses, including pollution, heat, drought, soil erosion, and nutrient stresses and their implications on biogeochemical cycles, greenhouse-gas fluxes, carbon dynamics across plant-soil-atmosphere, and nutrient acquisition efficiencies of plants. I have used a range of approaches that include controlled experiments, crop and pollution impact models, and conceptual models (for policy and economic impacts).

I am also interested in exploring how to engage wider actors and people in addressing urgent challenges, specifically around food systems, agriculture, and soil. A central aspect of my current work is dedicated to shaping a framework for reorienting soil health education within the broader perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals.