Jessica Gutknecht
Soil; biogeochemistry; community engagement; climate change; agricultural systems; systems thinking
Background & Expertise
Jess Gutknecht is an associate professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Soil, Water and Climate, with a PhD in soil microbiology from the University of Wisconsin. She is a soil ecologist with experience understanding how soil and soil biological communities mediate ecosystem responses to climate change. Her research is centered on the idea that the soil beneath our feet offers solutions for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change, as well as other environmental challenges. In agricultural lands she is exploring how regenerative and perennial cropping systems, aimed at protecting soils, can be this climate solution. In natural systems she is exploring how soil conservation and responses can offer a pathway to resiliency. She also teaches courses on community engagement around climate solutions, and on soil biogeochemistry and sustainable management.
Featured Project: Jessica Gutknecht
Creating Progress toward Zero Emissions in Minnesota's Agricultural and Food System
Challenge
Greenhouse gas reduction efforts within the food system are multifaceted and complex, requiring a comprehensive assessment, synthesis of existing knowledge and clear recommendations for moving forward. There has been no synthetic effort to catalog and identify progress or gaps across the many qualification efforts taking place across Minnesota.
Meet the Project Team
Project Lead
All Projects Featuring Jessica Gutknecht
Welcoming the 2020 IonE Affiliates
As we look at the world around us, it can be easy to look around in fear. At times it feels as if the world is on fire, and in some regions, it is. Raging wildfires are devastating not only the western United States, but also countries all across the globe.