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Mendez advances global climate-smart agriculture
In an increasingly water-constrained world, farmers are confronted daily by a changing environment that includes worsening droughts, extreme heat and rising production costs—conditions that are affecting their livelihoods and threatening global food security.
Thankfully, the scientists at Mississippi State University's Water Resources Research Institute are working to develop practical, data-driven strategies that help farmers use resources more sustainably and increase crop yields—a key combination for the future of agriculture and food security.
"Agriculture has always been linked to food security, and farming communities are an important part of society," said Kharla Mendez, a postdoctoral associate with WRRI. "Climate pressures are becoming more serious, and we need smarter, science-based strategies to help farmers use water efficiently without sacrificing yields. WRRI is at the heart of solving that challenge, and it's very fulfilling to contribute to its mission."
A native of Manila, Philippines, Mendez brings extensive experience to WRRI that's directly relevant to Southern agriculture, particularly rice production.
She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in agriculture from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. As a rice sufficiency officer for the Philippines Rice Research Institute, she worked for three years alongside farmers on an island community in Romblon, conducting field trials of new rice varieties and water management systems and teaching science-based practices to improve yields.
"Rice is our staple food in the Philippines," Mendez said. "That experience showed me farmers face multiple challenges, including pests, disease, heat stress and high input costs. It pushed me toward studying how environmental stress affects crop production."
She later joined the International Rice Research Institute as a researcher in the Crop and Environmental Science Division, where she studied yield potential and lodging. Working with her IRRI colleagues, she helped phenotype diverse indica rice panels to better understand genotype-by-environment interactions. Their findings generated key insights into how rice adapts to stresses and how breeders can develop more resilient varieties.
She also worked with the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction in the Philippines, documenting existing climate-resilient options in farming and fishing communities. Her work with IIRR and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research's Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security focused on implementing research protocols and managing data. The portfolios she compiled outlined key concepts for establishing climate-smart villages.
Mendez continued her studies at Arkansas State University, receiving her doctorate in molecular biosciences and serving as a graduate research assistant for six years. Since 2024, she has worked at MSU under the supervision of the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Delta Water Management Research Unit, where she collaborates extensively with the University of Arkansas.
As a WRRI postdoctoral associate, Mendez is researching the effects of irrigation management and soil amendments on soil trace gas flux and agronomic performance.
Through aligned efforts between Arkansas and Mississippi State, Mendez is advancing her work in climate-resilient agriculture, agronomy and crop science, with a goal to help farmers and strengthen rural communities.
"WRRI focuses on training young scientists, and the support they provide to researchers here is very strong," she said. "Farmers everywhere are working toward the same goal—producing high-quality crops despite increasing challenges. It's rewarding to help develop science-based tools and technologies that support more sustainable agriculture."
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