DWFI Annual Report highlights 15 years of global strides in water and food security

Amidst today’s global challenges—including the escalated need for food and nutrition security under mounting population pressure–DWFI’s mission has never been more vital. The institute’s recent annual report marks a year of critical research, capacity building and global thought leadership, and details significant progress across the Institute’s three core focus areas:

1. Water management for high-productivity commercial agriculture
2. Sustainable Smallholder Agricultural Water Management
3. Environmental and Human Health in Agricultural Systems



DWFI continues to prioritize education, capacity building and workforce development, as well as communications and convening, which are cross-cutting themes woven throughout all its initiatives.

“Throughout its 15-year history, the institute has leveraged world-class University of Nebraska research; state expertise in agricultural and water resource management; and private sector partnerships to make real progress toward a water- and food-secure future for all,” said DWFI Executive Director Peter McCornick. The report also honors the nearly decade-long leadership of Dr. McCornick, who will retire from the University of Nebraska at the end of this year.

Happy Holidays from DWFI!

As we conclude our 15th anniversary year, we reflect on another productive year, as well as our remarkable journey since the institute was founded in 2010.

Major challenges remain and it has been a trying year. However, we continue to make progress toward lasting impacts on water and food security, thanks to the many partners like you who share our vision and our drive.

Thank you for being part of our journey. We look forward to continuing this work alongside you in the new year and beyond.

Please click the video link above to enjoy a special message from Executive Director Peter G. McCornick as he prepares for his retirement from the University of Nebraska at the end of this year.

We wish you a happy holiday season and all the best in the year ahead.

Seminar Series explores how water management shapes Nebraska communities

The Nebraska Water Center (NWC), in partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s School of Natural Resources, will begin its annual Spring Water Seminar Series in January. 

This year’s series will explore how water management shapes our communities, a theme designed to bring together diverse voices from across the state to discuss the shared water challenges facing Nebraskans. The Series is open to the public and will be held in Room 901 in Hardin Hall on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus at 3:30 p.m. The seminar dates are:

UNL Yeutter Student Fellows research irrigation potential through immersive trip to Ghana

In Spring 2025, Yeutter Student Fellows from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln traveled to Ghana to explore the real-world challenges and opportunities of expanding irrigation across Africa. With support from the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska, and in collaboration with the Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance at the University of Nebraska and Valmont Industries, the students gained firsthand insights into agricultural water use, trade policy and cross-cultural collaboration.

In the video above, Jude Cobbing, DWFI senior program manager, sits down with the four Yeutter Student Fellows—Lexi Bodlak, Ethan Zen, Zanib Al Razaq, and Matthew Gillespie—following their trip to study small-scale irrigation and assess Ghana's readiness for commercial irrigation technologies. The students share their transformative experiences and how the trip revealed crucial, non-quantifiable factors like land tenure, trust, tradition, infrastructure and the informal legal framework that were invisible in their initial research. They discuss how the original research question evolved into a complex case study, leading them to conclude that Ghana is likely not yet ready for center pivots at scale but could benefit from other irrigation systems, highlighting the importance of empowering local farmers and considering the human dimension alongside technical and business aspects of agricultural development.

The student's immersive experience exemplifies how global engagement shapes local solutions—and how Nebraska students are becoming global leaders in water and food security.

Naivasha: A thriving hub of agribusiness and research potential in Kenya’s Rift Valley

By Jude Cobbing, DWFI Senior Program Manager

In October 2025, I visited the town of Naivasha, north of Nairobi in the central highlands of Kenya in East Africa. I took the trip to confirm whether a potential site for a center pivot irrigation system was suitable. If the site is viable and once the pivot’s up and running, DWFI will be a research partner in understanding whether it can support Kenyan farmers and boost local industry.

The town of Naivasha in Kenya's Rift Valley has emerged as a thriving hub of high-value agribusiness. It is supported by year-round sunshine, a temperate climate and abundant water resources from both Lake Naivasha and groundwater, with power supplied by renewable geothermal energy. This region specializes in crops like cut flowers, strawberries, avocados and French beans, primarily for export to Europe and the Middle East, and is bolstered by supporting industries like seedling production and greenhouse plastic manufacturing. The area presents a significant research opportunity across the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, the greater University of Nebraska (NU) system and the state of Nebraska. It provides unique, real-world data and insights that researchers and students can apply globally, complementing existing NU research sites in Kazakhstan and India. Naivasha serves as a "natural laboratory" for studying agriculture-led economic growth in the heart of Africa and local businesses are eager to partner, which could strengthen NU’s global reputation and open doors for new research grants and publications.

Reflections on the 2025 Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas 

By DWFI Program Coordinator Rebecca Carrillo

At the 2025 “Governor’s Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas," DWFI Program Coordinator Rebecca Carrillo joined experts and leaders to explore strategies for addressing critical water challenges. Key discussions included the WISE mentoring program, which empowers producers with resources for irrigation efficiency, and Manhattan’s innovative Alternative Offsite Stormwater Treatment Program, linking urban development with agricultural conservation practices. These sessions reinforced the importance of cross-sector partnerships and DWFI’s commitment to integrating research, policy and education to drive sustainable water management.

Three visiting scholars from India complete WARI program

By Ann Briggs, Nebraska Water Center Communications and Program Specialist 

The Water Advanced Research and Innovation (WARI) program, a partnership between the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and several institutions in India, is an initiative that connects Indian students and early-career faculty with U.S. counterparts for collaborative, water-related research. Three visiting scholars—Jew Das, who studied flash droughts; Mithun Karayi, who researched surface water monitoring for organic contaminants; and Deepak Verma, who assessed dam deformation—are completing their fellowships at the end of 2025 and returning to India. The scholars uniformly praised the program for providing valuable opportunities to access advanced research facilities; develop interdisciplinary problem-solving skills; and build professional networks crucial for their future careers. The three WARI scholars agreed that their experiences studying and living in Nebraska are impactful both personally and professionally.

Public Outreach: Amplifying the Value of Irrigation

By Irrigation Today

Frances Hayes, DWFI director of communication and public relations, was recently quoted in a story in Irrigation Today on the value of irrigation. Agricultural irrigation is becoming increasingly vital due to weather uncertainty, which brings longer growing seasons and less natural rainfall.

“Irrigation is essential for high-yield agriculture in many regions of the world, but limited amounts of water are available, making efficient irrigation critical,” says Hayes. “Expanding irrigation, whether in the U.S. or globally, necessitates considering competing demands on water. This nuanced complexity underscores the importance of our work in developing productive and sustainable agricultural systems to effectively balance water needs.”

What's in your water? Central Nebraska research renews focus on heavy metals in groundwater

By News Channel Nebraska

Research from Central Nebraska has brought renewed focus to the presence of heavy metals in the region's groundwater, particularly in shallower irrigation wells. A majority of Nebraskans' drinking water comes from public and community water systems with testing and treatment requirements. However, about 20% (~400,000 people) of the state's total population depend upon private wells for their drinking water, which are not required to be tested.

While Nebraska's groundwater naturally contains high levels of uranium, Dan Snow, lab director at the Water Sciences Lab, part of DWFI, found that recent sampling across a 40-mile radius found several irrigation wells with concentrations exceeding the safe limits recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Snow emphasized the human health risks posed by various trace elements, specifically noting the potential for manganese exposure to be linked to health effects and identifying arsenic as a long-standing problematic element, whose form (reduced or oxidized) significantly impacts its toxicity and the body's ability to excrete it.

The investigation highlighted that contaminants such as manganese and arsenic raise public health concerns. To address these issues and boost public awareness, the Central Platte Natural Resources District (CPNRD) has actively disseminated research conducted by Jesse Bell, DWFI director of water, climate and health, on the impact of water quality on health. By publishing Bell's work and facilitating public presentations by researchers, the CPNRD is working to empower Central Nebraska residents—especially owners of private wells—to better understand their water quality, seek answers and take necessary measures to protect their families and livestock.

Husker research to focus on sorghum gene functions, regulation

By Nebraska Today

A University of Nebraska–Lincoln research team, led by DWFI Faculty Fellow Edgar Cahoon, Chi Zhang, and Bin Yu, has received a three-year, $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to study the regulation of gene functions in sorghum, the fifth most important cereal grain globally. The project will focus on identifying microexons—tiny, often-overlooked gene fragments—across the sorghum genome to advance knowledge on how genes control oil accumulation and stress response, which is crucial for developing crops better equipped to thrive in variable climates and strengthening sustainable bioenergy production.