UNL CropWatch: UNL Global Conference Focuses on Growing More Food with Less Water

UNL CropWatch: UNL Global Conference Focuses on Growing More Food with Less Water

March 16, 2011

International experts will explore potential solutions for growing more food with limited water to feed the world's rapidly growing population at the third annual global Water for Food Conference May 1-4.

Paths to Solutions
Global Water for Food Conference

May 1-4 in Lincoln
Online registration through April 22
Information:  Water for Food Institute


More than 30 speakers and panelists will discuss diverse approaches to meeting the challenge of producing enough food with limited water supplies.

"Paths to Solutions" is the theme of this year's conference at Lincoln's Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, hosted by the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The conference fosters international dialogue on key issues related to the use of water for agriculture. It provides opportunities to learn from speakers with extensive experience and perspectives from diverse cultures.

Registration is $250, which includes all conference events, materials and meals. Online registration, schedule, and the latest information on speakers are available at the conference website: http://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/wff2011 .

"This conference attracts experts from across Nebraska and around the world who are committed to developing solutions to one of mankind's great challenges: how to feed a rapidly growing global population with finite amounts of land and water," said James B. Milliken, University of Nebraska president. "The University of Nebraska's Water for Food Institute, which builds on the university's long history in water research and policy analysis, is taking a leadership role in this important international issue."

Featured speakers will include Jeff Raikes, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Anil Jain, managing director, Jain Irrigation Ltd. of India; Anders Berntell, executive director, Stockholm International Water Institute; Pasquale Steduto, principal officer, United Nations/FAO Water; Andras Szollosi-Nagy, rector, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education; and others.

More than 30 speakers and panelists will discuss diverse approaches to meeting the challenge of producing enough food with limited water supplies. Sessions will include panel discussions featuring agricultural producers from several countries; a CEO panel offering industry perspectives on water for food challenges; technical sessions on "Quantitative Food Security: Yield Gaps, Water and Nitrogen Productivity," "Maximizing Water Use Efficiency in Agriculture," and "Evaluation of Aquifer Resources in Sub-Saharan Africa" and a case study on "Securing Water for Agriculture: California's High-Stakes Challenge."

The 2010 conference drew more than 300 representatives from universities, agriculture, industry, government and nongovernmental organizations worldwide and more are expected this year. The conference is the preeminent event of the university's Water for Food Institute, a research, policy and education institute established in 2010 and committed to efficiently using the world's limited freshwater to ensure a reliable food supply. Participants in the 2011 Water for Food Conference will help inform the institute's work.

"The University of Nebraska is proud to join with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to host what is surely becoming the leading conference in the world focused on the strategic use of water for food," Milliken said.

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