Bringing Water for Food to World Water Week
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The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) brought attention to the vital importance of water use in agriculture at the annual
World Water Week
conference in Stockholm, Sweden, in late August. The event draws more than 5000 participants from 130 countries to discuss the future of water and how we can move toward achieving the United Nation’s sustainable development goals (SDGs).
DWFI leaders and Faculty Fellows presented or coordinated five sessions at World Water Week, focusing on ways in which we can advance water and food security through innovation, effective governance and improved practices.
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DWFI Director of Research Christopher Neale participated in a Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) Sofa interview on the topic of farmer-led irrigation solutions for smallholder farmers and served as a panelist in two other sessions.
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Faculty Fellow Mark Svoboda, director of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln,
and Global Fellow Rachael McDonnell from the
International Center for Biosaline Agriculture
shared their expertise on drought monitoring at another SIWI Sofa interview.
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Nebraska Water Center Director Chittaranjan Ray moderated an international panel of experts in the session “Agriculture, Freshwater Quality and Public Health: Tying it All Together.” Director of Policy Nick Brozović offered his perspective as a panelist in “Groundwater-based natural infrastructure solutions: The missing link to resilience?”
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DWFI joins partners at African Green Revolution Forum to support farmer-led irrigation
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Executive Director Peter McCornick participated in the
African Green Revolution Forum
in Kigali, Rwanda, in early September to share DWFI’s research and policy work in the area of farmer-led irrigation solutions for smallholder farmers.
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the World Bank, and the African Development Bank (AfDB) hosted a side event on this topic, which included a “Joint Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Farmer-led Irrigation,” based on outcomes from the Water for Food International Forum the institute hosted in partnership with the World Bank, USAID and USDA in January.
“It’s exciting to see how this topic has become a leading area of focus for international conferences on water and food security. There are millions of smallholder farmers in several emerging countries that could dramatically increase their agricultural production with an enabling environment and access to affordable irrigation technologies,” said McCornick. “We will highlight new developments in farmer-led irrigation at our 2019 Water for Food Global Conference in April."
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Credit: African Green Revolution Forum
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Great Plains Regional Water Symposium Oct. 24-26
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Past symposiums were state-focused, but this year, Water Resources Research Institute directors from across the Great Plains region will gather for the National Institutes for Water Resources Regional Symposium.
Held Oct. 24-26 at Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center, the symposium brings together water leaders, scientists, managers, students and stakeholders within the Missouri and Arkansas river basins. Federal representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Geological Survey will participate and provide overviews of basin-wide challenges and research and funding opportunities. The symposium also includes special talks from representatives of the Platte Basin Timelapse project, tours of the Nebraska Innovation Campus Greenhouse and Food Innovation Center, two dinners and two lunches.
Registration fees are $300 for regular registration; $150 for general student; and free for students presenting a poster.
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Key topics include:
- nutrient loading and harmful algal blooms
- agricultural water use
- surface and groundwater contamination and depletion
- industrial and municipal water use
- impacts of climate change on water resources
- coordinated aquifer management
- maintaining ecosystem services for fish and wildlife within the basins.
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Raikes' School Design Studio Intern joins DWFI policy team
DWFI would like to welcome Emma Clausen as a new intern! Clausen is a sophomore majoring in computer science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Raikes' School of Computer Science and Management. She served as an intern on DWFI’s Raikes' School Design Studio farm database project last year. This fall, Clausen
will assist our team by accessing and managing data for the smart water meter project.
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Hayes joins DWFI teams as new Communications Specialist
Frances Hayes is a marketing communications professional who joined DWFI in September. As the communications specialist, Hayes plays a key role in strategic communication of the institute’s mission and accomplishments through print and web-based publications, social media and other communications.
Hayes holds an interdisciplinary master’s degree in marketing, communications & advertising and a bachelor of journalism degree, both from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
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Nguyen joins DWFI team as new Program Coordinator
Vivian Nguyen joined DWFI in August. She previously interned at the institute and contributed to a report on water security and entrepreneurship in the High Plains. Nguyen’s main focus is public policy and international relations concerning climate and water security. She also has interests in media, political psychology, and environmental justice.
Nguyen holds a master’s degree in Political Science and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
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Latent heat and sensible heat flux simulation in maize using artificial neural networks
By Babak Safa,
DWFI postdoctoral researcher
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Sensible heat and latent heat play important roles in the water cycle and global warming. Safa’s recent article in the
Computers and Electronics in Agriculture
journal shows how fluxes of these two components over cropland can be simulated. With this knowledge, scientists better understand crop productivity, hydrological cycle, irrigation scheduling and their effects on climate.
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What is the use value of irrigation water from the High Plains Aquifer?
B
y
Federico García Suárez
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Lilyan E Fulginiti, DWFI Faculty Fellow
;
Richard K Perrin, DWFI Faculty Fellow
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This study published in the
American Journal of Agricultural Economics
estimates the gross value of irrigation water from the U.S. High Plains Aquifer. Using county-level observations for 1960-2007, the authors found that irrigation increases total yield in the region by an average of 51 percent, resulting in an estimated average gross annual value of irrigation as of 2007 to be $196 per acre, for a total of about $3 billion across the aquifer. Past research by DWFI Director of Policy Nick
Brozović is referenced in the literature review.
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This map shows the average gross annual value of irrigation by county above the HPA.
Credit: American Journal of Agricultural Economics
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DWFI launched Global SEEDS (Service, Engagement, Entreprenuership, Development, Sustainability) Learning Community this fall, offering second-year University of Nebraska-Lincoln undergraduate students the opportunity to work with DWFI faculty and staff to develop solutions for water and food insecurity issues.
In addition to exploring entrepreneurial approaches and connecting with a global network of leaders, students will apply classroom learning to real-work situations in an international study abroad program. In anticipation of a student trip next summer, DWFI staff traveled to Rwanda over the past summer to better understand the country's agricultural ecosystem. The team will be returning there soon to learn more.
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Women harvesting green beans in a field along the Rwandan-Tanzania border.
Credit: Ellen Emanuel
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Nebraska Water Center updates
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Nebraska Water Center builds partnerships at NRD Annual Conference
Nebraska Water Center (NWC) staff attended the Annual Conference of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts Sept. 23-25. A key part of the Nebraska Water Center’s role is to connect research and extension faculty with water decision-makers throughout the state.
The
Nebraska Vadose Zone website,
Know Your Well
high schools, and the
Irrigation Innovation Consortium were several projects highlighted at the annual meeting, building partnerships for the NWC. The Master Conservationist Youth Award was presented to Newman Grove High School Shell Creek Watershed Monitoring program. These students were a key part of the successful cleanup of the Shell Creek, which was the first waterway to be removed from the federal
Impaired Waters list this summer. These awards are sponsored by the Omaha World Herald and University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
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Call for student posters at the Great Plains Water Symposium
A student poster competition will be held at the annual Great Plains Water Symposium. Both graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to share their research posters at the symposium. However, only graduate students are allowed to enter the juried competition. Cash prizes of $500, $300 and $200 will be awarded to first, second and third place winners respectively.
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Water tour travels 700 miles through Nebraska and Wyoming
The North Platte River Basin took center stage during the 47
th
edition of the Nebraska Water and Natural Resources Tour. Jointly organized by the Nebraska Water Center and Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, the tour cut a 700-mile path through western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming from June 26
- 29.
More than 45 participants from across Nebraska – and as far away as Salem, Ore. – joined the tour. Some of the most memorable destinations included the majestic Pathfinder Dam near Casper, Wyo.; Sinclair Oil Refinery in Carbon County, Wyo.; and Nebraska emblems Chimney Rock and Lake McConaughy.
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Faculty Fellows in the news
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Troy GIlmore,
Groundwater Hydrologist/Assistant Professor, Biological Systems Engineering
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Troy GIlmore,
Groundwater Hydrologist/Assistant Professor, Biological Systems Engineering
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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National Farmer’s Day
October 12, 2018
7th Africa Water Week in Libreville, Gaon
October 15-19, 2018
World Food Day
October 16, 2018
World Food Prize + 2018 Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium
October 17-19, 2018 | Des Moines, Iowa
Drawdown
Book Talk
October 17, 2018 | 5:30 p.m. | Francie & Finch Bookshop
DWFI, in partnership with Francie & Finch Bookshop, present a conversation with DWFI Research Associate Babak Safa and DWFI Global Fellow George G. Burba. The event will be held at Francie & Finch Bookshop, located at 130 S. 13
th
St., Lincoln, Nebraska. The evening will focus on work featured in the New York Times Bestseller,
Drawdown—The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
. Light refreshments will be provided and a Q+A session will follow.
Nebraska Water Center Regional Symposium
October 24-26, 2018
Water for Food Global Conference
April 29-30, 2019
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Staff
Ivo Zution Goncalves
Post-Doctoral Research Associate, DWFI
Ivo Zution Goncalves is an agronomist engineer from Alegre, Espírito Santo, Brazil. He joined the Daugherty Water for Food Institute in June 2015 as a postdoctoral researcher. He is working with Director of Research Christopher Neale on projects involving water resources, drip irrigation and remote sensing. He hopes to increase his understanding of remote sensing and how to apply it to irrigation management, along with meeting new researchers and having new experiences in Nebraska.
Goncalves holds a doctorate in agriculture engineering (water and soil) from State University of Campinas in Brazil and a master’s degree in plant production (planning and water resources management) from Federal University of Espírito Santo in Brazil.
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Faculty Fellow
Troy Gilmore
Groundwater Hydrologist/Assistant Professor,
Biological Systems Engineering
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Troy Gilmore's research focuses on groundwater quantity, quality, and groundwater-surface water interactions. Recently, his graduate students measured groundwater discharge at sites in the Loup and Elkhorn basins using thermal sensing techniques and traditional physical measurements. This work was supported by a DWFI Student Fellowship. Gilmore and his team have also used statistical machine learning to investigate how environmental factors, including irrigation technology, affect groundwater quality at a site along the North Platte River in western Nebraska. Ongoing projects include investigations of groundwater nitrate concentrations in South-Central Nebraska and an
NSF-funded project
focused on field estimates and models of the age of groundwater that discharges to Sandhills streams overlying the thickest portions of the High Plains Aquifer. Troy’s Extension focus is on delivery of watershed science information to water resources decision makers, particularly Natural Resources Districts in Nebraska.
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Water table elevation change and pop stars.
(Click to view original animated GIF.)
Credit: Erin Haacker
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The Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska was founded in 2010 to address the global challenge of achieving food security with less stress on water resources through improved water management in agricultural and food systems. The institute is committed to ensuring a water and food secure world while maintaining the use of water for other human and environmental needs.
The Nebraska Water Center, established by Congress in 1964, focuses on helping the University of Nebraska become an international leader in water research, teaching, extension and outreach by facilitating programs that will result in UNL becoming a premiere institution in the study of agricultural and domestic water use.
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