Voices from the industry


Ensuring a food supply for future generations by addressing today’s water-use challenges


By Sally Rockey, PhD


With 10 billion people projected to populate the world by 2050, our food system must evolve. Farmers will need to produce more with less — less land, less resources and less water. Agriculture, which accounts for approximately 70 percent of global freshwater withdrawals, is the largest water user globally. New technologies and continued adoption of sustainable agricultural water-use practices present an opportunity to advance our agricultural systems where water is often becoming a limited resource.


To give future generations a safe, nutritious and sustainable food supply, we must address water-use challenges with science- based solutions.


But no single company or organization can solve these complex issues alone. Agricultural water use involves technology for precision application, municipal water supplies, understanding of water flows and recharge, pollutant reduction strategies, and more. One product won’t provide a solution to every problem, but all of us working together can find a combination of approaches and technologies that give producers and the public peace of mind when it comes to agricultural water use.


The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research is 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by bipartisan congressional support in the 2014 Farm Bill. We bring together leading experts to identify and investigate the researchable questions whose answers have the potential to enhance the economic and environmental resilience of our food supply.


FFAR has prioritized Overcoming Water Scarcity as one of its strategic Challenge Areas and aims to increase water-use efficiency in agriculture, develop water reuse technologies and improve water


quality. The FFAR program is designed to foster adoption of science, management strategies, technologies, training and outreach that support sustainable practices. Our goal is to arm farmers, ranchers and farm decision-makers with better tools for data-based decision-making.


The Overcoming Water Scarcity program emphasizes funding innovative research in the following strategic areas:


• irrigation • plant water efficiency • water reuse/recovery • groundwater recharge


One of the key issues identified by FFAR stakeholders is irrigation. Farmers and ranchers are the stewards of the natural resources that fuel our food system. Agricultural producers, as well as stakeholders with industry, cities and the environment, have interconnected interests surrounding water availability, water- use efficiency, irrigation management, the need for practical applied science surrounding irrigation, and the need for overall improved resource management. The need is great for a holistic system of best management practices in high- efficiency irrigation systems, regional water delivery infrastructure, data-driven control systems and irrigation efficiency. Technology demonstrations and practitioner training are critically needed to effectively address water scarcity and technology transfer.


The future of irrigated agriculture depends upon producers’ ability to improve on-farm water management for crop production. Putting innovative technology and proven best management practices in the hands of producers demands collaborative scientific solutions from the best and brightest minds.


At a time when public investment in food and agriculture research is in decline, FFAR is a ready partner to unite private businesses and the public sector behind collaborative research and development to meet our water challenges.


I thank the Irrigation Association for participation in the development of an upcoming FFAR-led irrigation consortium, which is designed to bring industry and public partners together to advance irrigation automation, supervisory control and data acquisition, data management and decision support, and energy and water-use efficiency in irrigated food systems and amenity landscapes across the globe. With this partnership, we aim to strategically capitalize on existing strengths while creating powerful new synergies.


I look forward to partnering with leaders in the irrigation industry to work toward a more efficient, sustainable American agriculture system. Together with producers, we can develop and deploy cutting-edge science to overcome water scarcity and protect our agricultural system.


Sally Rockey, PhD, is


the executive director of the Foundation for Food and


Agriculture Research. An entomologist


by training, Dr. Rockey has devoted her career to


advocating for science and promoting


the role of research in improving people’s lives. Before FFAR, Dr. Rockey worked


for the federal government for 30 years, leading competitive research programs at both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health.


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