THE WATER FOR FOOD STORY AND

OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE

Eureka Conference, Nebraska Innovation Campus

March 15-16, 2016

BOB DAUGHERTY AND HIS VISION

The first Water for Food Conference -- 2009

2010: FUND AGREEMENT WITH ROBERT B.

DAUGHERTY FOUNDATION

• $50 Million Grant to be

expended over 15 years, in

three tranches

• Clear benchmarks and

timelines

2011: INITIAL HOME IN THE WHITTIER BUILDING

IN

6

RECRUITING LEADERSHIP TEAM AND STAFF

INTEGRATING NEBRASKA WATER CENTER

The Challenge of

Managing Water

for Food Security

Food• Increasing global consumption -

- population growth, rising

incomes, changing diets

• Limited opportunities for

expansion in cropland

• Changes in land use -- land

degradation, non-food crops

• Yield increases reaching a

plateau in many places

• Climate change impacts

Water• Increasing competition by other

water users – principally cities

(people and industry)

• Environmental water needs

often unmet

• Decreasing quality as well as

quantity

• Soil erosion and deteriorating

soil health

• Groundwater depletion

• Climate Change Impacts

FOOD SECURITY

Photo: Greg RodgersPhoto: Roberto LentonPhoto: Catherine Pond

Food Availability Food Access Food Use

“When everyone, everywhere, has

access to enough safe and nutritious

food for a healthy, active life”

WATER SECURITY

“The reliable availability of an acceptable quantity and quality of

water for health, livelihoods and production, coupled with an

acceptable level of water-related risks."

Source: Grey, David; Sadoff, Claudia (2007), Sink or Swim? Water security for

growth and development, Water Policy, 2007

MANAGING WATER FOR FOOD SECURITY

• Ensuring both water security and

food security

• Attaining sustainable global food

security in the face of increasing

competition for scarce water

resources

Our

approach

WHAT CAN WE OFFER FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF

NEBRASKA?

BREBS locationsBREBS locations

Scottsbluff

Omaha

Lincoln

Eddy covariance system

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA:

EXPERTISE IN WATER AND FOOD ISSUES AND BEYOND

• Water sciences

• Agricultural sciences

• Social sciences

• Information sciences

• Business Administration

• Public health

• Institute originated from private

sector innovation

• We interact frequently with

private sector partners, including

at Water for Food Conferences

• We are based at the Nebraska

Innovation Campus— designed

to promote public-private R&D

TRADITION OF ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH

FARMERS:

THE NEBRASKA AGRICULTURAL WATER

MANAGEMENT NETWORK

• The network fosters adoption of newer

water management technologies based

on soil moisture sensors

• Helps farmers reduce water withdrawal

and energy consumption

NEBRASKA’S EXPERIENCE: HIGH-PRODUCTIVITY

IRRIGATION

NEBRASKA’S 23 NATURAL RESOURCE DISTRICTS

OUR INSTITUTIONAL VISION:

A DISTRIBUTED INSTITUTE

• Drawing on Faculty Fellows and affiliates and

centers of expertise across the University

• Expanding our reach through partnerships

UNL wheat breeder Steve

Baenziger and students

PARTNERSHIP BUILDING: EXTENDING OUR GLOBAL

REACH

Subject Areas

of

Focus

SUBJECT AREAS OF FOCUS

• Closing Water and Agricultural Productivity Gaps

• Groundwater Management for Agricultural Production

• Enhancing High-productivity Irrigated Agriculture

• Agro-ecosystems and Public Health

Cross-cutting subject: Management of agricultural drought

Yield Potential

(Yp)

Attainable

Yield

75-85% Yp

Average

Farm Yield

Exploitable yield gap

Yie

ld L

ev

el

CROP YIELD GAPS

CLOSING WATER PRODUCTIVITY GAPS:

Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Network

Active Engagement

New TechnologiesImpact: Reduction In Water Withdrawals For Total

Area Per Crop Growing Season

Groundwater Management: How do we achieve sustainability?

DROUGHT MANAGEMENT

DROUGHT MONITORING

WATER MANAGEMENT IS CRITICAL, TOO

REDUCING WATER USE: More crop per drop

CURRENT GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS

• Nebraska and the surrounding food-producing heartland of

the USA

• India, China and Brazil – big food producing countries

experiencing significant water stress

• Select countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (starting with

Tanzania), where food security concerns greatest and good

water management is key

• Select countries in MENA region, the area of greatest water

scarcity in the world

Examples of

activities

Global Yield Gap and Water Productivity Atlas

Website: www.yieldgap.org

Drier savanna

Moist savanna

Humid forest

Midaltitude savanna

Global Yield Gap and Water Productivity Atlas

• A publically available, graphically intuitive atlas that estimates crop yield and water productivity gaps at field, regional and national scales.

Ethiopia

Kenya

Tanzania

CIRCLES: TANZANIA PILOT PROJECT

41

EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION

• Partnership with UNESCO-IHE

Institute for Water Education in

Delft, the Netherlands:

– Dual Degree Program: students

study agricultural water management

in Nebraska and the Netherlands

– Student exchanges, e.g. field

methods course

• Internships and fellowships for

undergraduate and graduate

students and post-docs

RESEARCH-BASED POLICY DIALOGUE:

The Annual Water for Food Global Conferences

Photos courtesy of University Communications

UPCOMING CONFERENCE

GOING

FORWARD

THE BIG OPPORTUNITIES

•Subject area only increasing in

importance

•Local and global resonance

•Engaging more and more faculty

across University

THE BIG CHALLENGES

• Impact-driven Research and

Engagement

•Long-term Financial

Sustainability

www.gwpforum.org

THANK YOU