DWFI and IWMI partner on Cambridge Sustainability Commission on Water for Food Futures | |
DWFI has partnered with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) on the Cambridge Sustainability Commission on Water for Food Futures (CWFF). This commission, supported by Cambridge University Press, aims to address the critical global challenge of balancing water and food security. Agriculture uses 70% of global freshwater and a growing population demands more food with less reliable water availability.
Kicking off their collaboration at the 2025 Water for Food Global Conference, IWMI and DWFI will leverage their combined expertise to critically examine existing water management approaches in food systems, identify limitations, and highlight innovations and policy directions. The findings, which will be published in Cambridge University Press’s Global Sustainability journal in 2027, will contribute vital research to global understanding and catalyze action for a more secure future for water and food systems worldwide.
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McCornick to extend tenure as DWFI executive director through 2025
DWFI Executive Director Peter G. McCornick has announced he will extend his tenure to ensure a smooth transition with the incoming executive director. McCornick was originally scheduled to step down in August 2025 but will remain in his leadership position until the end of 2025. McCornick has led the institute since August 2016, significantly expanding its research footprint, fostering global collaborations, and strengthening smallholder agriculture initiatives, including securing a $3.5 million Gates Foundation grant. His leadership has cemented DWFI's position as a global thought leader in sustainable water management for agriculture.
The search committee is currently reviewing applications for a dynamic and visionary leader to serve as the next executive director of the institute. This pivotal role offers a unique opportunity to spearhead a globally impactful institute dedicated to ensuring water and food security for all. The application period will remain open until the position is filled and those interested are encouraged to apply.
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Remembering Uma Lele: 1941-2025
DWFI regretfully shares the passing of Uma Lele on July 28, 2025. A distinguished figure in agricultural and development economics, Dr. Lele was a visionary leader, mentor, colleague, and friend to many. As a respected member of the DWFI's International Advisory Panel, her profound insights on rural development challenges in the Global South, particularly in Africa and Asia, significantly informed our endeavors. Her extensive research enhanced our understanding of the intricate relationships among agricultural policy, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. Dr. Lele's visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to advancing opportunities for women globally have left an enduring legacy.
Throughout her notable career, Uma Lele was a trailblazer, achieving numerous milestones. She was the first woman to earn a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University, the first woman elected president of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE), and the founder of the International Committee of Women in Agricultural Economics (ICWAE), an organization dedicated to mentoring and supporting women in the profession. Dr. Lele's contributions to the field were exceptional, and her legacy persists through the individuals she impacted, the knowledge she generated, and the institutions she helped shape. We extend our deepest condolences to her family.
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Irrigation Association visits Nebraska for Smart Irrigation Month
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen officially proclaimed July as Smart Irrigation Month, recognizing the vital role of irrigation in advancing agricultural productivity, water conservation, and economic growth.
On July 18, Irrigation Association CEO Natasha Rankin, Board President Julie Bushell, and senior communications manager Anne Blankenbiller celebrated in Nebraska. During the visit, Rankin hosted a listening session with leaders from Nebraska’s agricultural irrigation manufacturing sector, gathering insights on workforce development, technology adoption and the state’s innovation legacy.
The visit concluded with a brief recognition ceremony at the Nebraska State Capitol and a meeting including Nick Brozovic, DWFI director of policy; Tiffany Heng-Moss, University of Nebraska interim vice president and vice chancellor of agriculture and natural resources; and Derek McLean, dean and director of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Agricultural Research Division. The team also met with representatives from Valmont Industries, the Lindsay Corporation, and Reinke Manufacturing, three of the world’s largest irrigation companies, headquartered in Nebraska. IA's visit was part of a broader effort to increase visibility and strengthen relationships in one of the most important irrigation states in the country.
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Podcast episode explores critical indicator for Nebraska groundwater quality
The vadose zone is the area between crop roots and the water table, and is a critically important region for storage, transport and transformation of chemicals that can impact groundwater quality. In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, host Frances Hayes talks with Arindam Malakar, a researcher with the Nebraska Water Center (NWC, a part of DWFI) who studies Nebraska’s vadose zone and monitors the impacts of irrigation and fertilizer on groundwater.
Hayes is also joined by Marie Krausnick, assistant general manager for Nebraska’s Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District (NRD). The Upper Big Blue NRD and other NRDs across the state have partnered with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Nebraska Water Center in researching nitrate concentration in their districts. While nitrate levels in some areas have decreased in the Upper Big Blue NRD, there has been an overall increase of 54% in the district.
In Nebraska, as in many parts of the world, one of the key chemicals monitored in the vadose zone is nitrate. Nitrogen is a critical plant nutrient, but once it sinks below the roots and enters the vadose zone, it becomes a liability: both an economic loss for the farmer and a potential public health risk for some rural communities where wells have not been recently tested. Excess nitrate in drinking water can cause adverse health effects, particularly in infants and vulnerable populations, as too much nitrate in the body makes it harder for red blood cells to carry oxygen. Contaminants, like nitrates, present in the vadose zone can eventually appear in the underlying aquifers. NWC takes soil cores all the way down to the groundwater table, sometimes over 100 feet, and tests them for nitrate and other contaminants. These cores are crucial for understanding how water and chemicals move through the soil and potentially reach groundwater. They can also be useful in predicting water quality issues. The Nebraska Water Center Water Sciences Lab has collected vadose cores for decades. To increase the usability of all this data, they launched the Nebraska Vadose Zone Program online portal in 2015 with funding from the Nebraska Environmental Trust, Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (now the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment), and several Natural Resources Districts (NRDs).
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Water and Natural Resources Tour ventures west to Arizona in November
Register now for the 2025 Water and Natural Resources Tour to be held November 2-7, 2025. Join the Nebraska Water Center and Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District to experience urban water management, winter agriculture, and transboundary aquifer management. You’ll go behind the scenes and meet the experts to get a first-hand look at water and natural resources in the American Southwest. This tour has been rescheduled from the original dates of February 2-7, 2025.
$1440 per person, single occupancy room
$1365 per person, double occupancy room
Registration will be open until September 26, 2025. Spaces are limited, so act fast to secure your seat!
The tour is sponsored by the DWFI, the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, HDR, Lower Platte South Natural Resource District, Olsson, Water Futures Partnership – Nebraska, and Reinke.
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2025 Great Plains Water Conference will draw participants from seven states
Join the Great Plains states as the Nebraska Water Center, part of DWFI, discusses Securing Water Resources for Tomorrow. On September 18 and 19, participants will gather on the University of Nebraska Omaha campus to provide updates on water supply and water quality throughout the region. Topics include water smart communities and watersheds, water quality monitoring and treatment strategies, emerging contaminants, wellhead protection, education and outreach, basin management, and more.
Researchers, governments, nonprofits, state agencies, and students from Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Oklahoma will share how communities across the Great Plains are planning for their future water resources.
Registration
Conference registration is now open. To register for the conference, visit https://go.unl.edu/gpwc.
- Regular Registration (now through August 15): $400
- Late Registration (August 16 through September 4): $450
Registration includes all sessions and meals, as well as the Thursday evening reception. Special pricing is available for students and faculty.
Student Research Poster Competition
Students from across the Great Plains are invited to compete in the Student Research Poster Competition. To submit your poster to compete in the student research poster competition, please register for the conference as a student. You’ll be asked to provide your research poster information during registration. Interested students should review the poster competition announcement and rules prior to registration.
This event is sponsored by the Kansas Water Institute and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
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Drought and Health National Workshop hosted by Water, Climate and Health Program
The Water, Climate and Health Program will host a two-day workshop September 30-October 1, 2025, to advance the science, policy, and practice at the intersection of drought and health. This event, hosted at the Science Museum of Minnesota in Saint Paul, Minnesota, will bring together researchers, public health professionals, and climate resilience leaders to exchange knowledge, strengthen partnerships, and examine actionable strategies for mitigating the health impacts of drought. Interactive sessions will be designed to promote cross-sector collaboration and support progress toward more resilient communities. There is no registration fee for this event, which will be limited to in-person participation only.
Abstract submissions are currently being accepted for poster presentations. Submissions may include innovative research, practical tools, programmatic approaches, or case studies addressing drought and health. Selected presenters will share their work during dedicated networking sessions, engaging with a national audience of interdisciplinary professionals. Abstracts will be accepted until August 15, 2025, 12:00 p.m. CT.
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Husker researcher studying impacts of rain-on-snow flood risk
DWFI Faculty Fellow Tirthankar Roy has received a five-year, $673,168 grant from the National Science Foundation to address the critical, unsolved problem of flood risk from rain falling on snow, especially prevalent in the Midwest. Roy and his team will conduct the most comprehensive assessment to date of these "rain-on-snow" flood events, using machine learning to investigate their characteristics and contributing factors. This research, part of a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program award, aims to bridge the gap in mainstream water resource decision-making regarding these floods, potentially leading to better mitigation efforts and setting a global benchmark for future assessments. As part of the project, Roy will also develop curricula and resources for students and community leaders, and mentor students in research.
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Staff, Fellow and Supported Student Publications | | |
Coupling effects of enhanced efficiency fertilizers and nitrogen timing on groundwater quality and maize yield in northeast Nebraska
Singh, Arshdeep; Rudnick, Daran; Snow, Daniel D.; Patel, Swetabh; Misar, Christopher
Economic and environmental performance of soybean-based cropping systems in the US Midwest
Freitas, Carolina; Hart, Chad; Licht, Mark; Hubber, Isaiah; Castellano, Michael
Prospects for cereal self-sufficiency in sub-Saharan Africa
van Ittersum, Martin K.; Alimagham, Seyyedmajid; Silva, João Vasco; Adjei-Nsiah, Samuel; Baijukya, Frederick P.
Network of networks: Time series clustering of AmeriFlux sites
Reed, David E; Chu, Housen; Peter, Brad G.; Chen, Jiquan; Abraha, Michael
Crop2Cloud platform: Real-time data integration for agricultural water monitoring
Nsoh, Bryan; Katimbo, Abia; DeJonge, Kendall C.; Liang, Weizhen; Guo, Hongzhi
Frontiers in earth observation for global soil properties assessment linked to environmental and socio-economic factors
José A.M. Demattê, Raul R. Poppiel, Jean Jesus Macedo Novais, Nícolas Augusto Rosin, Budiman Minasny, Igor Y. Savin, Sabine Grunwald, Songchao Chen, Yongsheng Hong, Jingyi Huang, Sabine Chabrillat, Quirijn de Jong van Lier, Eyal Ben-Dor, Cecile Gomez, Zhang Ganlin, Merilyn Taynara Accorsi Amorim, Letícia Guadagnin Vogel, Jorge Tadeu Fim Rosas, Robert Milewski, Asa Gholizadeh, Asmaa Abdelbaki
Coupling effects of enhanced efficiency fertilizers and nitrogen timing on groundwater quality and maize yield in northeast Nebraska
Singh, Arshdeep; Rudnick, Daran; Snow, Daniel D.; Patel, Swetabh; Misar, Christopher
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Environmental Impact of Wastewater on Surface and Groundwater in Central Asia
Kalmakhanova, Marzhan S.; Kurtebayeva, Assel A.; Tleuova, Zhanna T.; Satybaldiev, Bagdat; Orynbayev, Seitzhan A.
Scalable machine learning framework for adaptive irrigation management of maize and soybean in the U.S. Midwest
Amori, Precious N.; Heeren, Derek M.; Shi, Yeyin; Wilkening, Eric; Goncalves, Ivo Z.
FUTURE OUTLOOK OF DRYLAND CROP PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN THE SEMI-ARID HIGH PLAINS AMID CLIMATE CHANGE
Todd, Olivia E.; Creech, Cody F.; Kumar, Vipan; Mahood, Adam; Peirce, Erika
An upscaling approach for estimating field-level irrigation water use through the Budyko framework
Zhang, Jingwen; Guan, Kaiyu; Sivapalan, Murugesu; Jiang, Chongya; Pan, Ming
IRRIGATION AND WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES OF SURFACE-IRRIGATED CROPLANDS IN WEST AND SOUTH REGIONS OF THE U.S.
Datta, Sumon; Taghvaeian, Saleh; Sibley, Martha; Gholson, Drew M.; Yost, Matt
Debated, deluged or disappeared: The flow of public discussion surrounding drought in FEMA Region 7
Armstrong, Cory; Baldinelli, Sharon E.; Smith, Kelly; Medcalf, Sharon J.
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Water Quality Month
August 1-31
Nebraska State Fair
August 22-September 1
World Water Week
Stockholm, Sweden
August 24-28
Learn more
UNL Fall Semester Starts
August 25
Labor Day
September 1
Husker Harvest Days
September 9-11
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The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska was founded in 2010 by the Robert B. Daugherty Foundation 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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