Proceedings of the 2012 Water for Food Conference Lincoln, Nebraska – May 30 - June 1 2
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Blue Water, Green Water and the Future of Agriculture Proceedings of the 2012 Water for Food Conference Lincoln, Nebraska – May 30 - June 1 2 ©2013, The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. All rights reserved. Proceedings of the 2012 Water for Food Conference, May 30-June 1, 2012, Lincoln, NE. Citation: University of Nebraska–Lincoln Office of Research and Economic Development (2013). Proceedings of the 2012 Water for Food Conference. Lincoln. ISBN: 978-0-615-73973-1 Additional comments and questions may be directed to: Roberto Lenton, Founding Executive Director, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute 234 Whittier Research Center 2200 Vine St. P.O. Box 830860 Lincoln, NE 68583-0860 USA (402) 472-5145 • [email protected] Credits Executive Editor Monica Norby Writer Gillian Klucas Managing Editor Ashley Washburn Contributing Editors Elizabeth Banset, Vicki Miller Photography Joel Brehm, Craig Chandler, Brett Hampton Additional Photos Neil Palmer, CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture/Flickr, p. 13, p. 14, p. 16, p. 36, pp. 82-83; Alida Vanni/iStock, p. 46 Design Sym Labs Transcription Doris Schuessler The University of Nebraska is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity institution. Proceedings of the 2012 Water for Food Conference 3 Conference Sponsors Major conference support underwritten by Robert B. Daugherty Charitable Foundation Generous conference support provided by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Monsanto Syngenta Additional conference support provided by Pioneer, a DuPont Company Global Harvest Initiative Water for Food Conference Committees Senior Advisory Council Michael Doane, Monsanto Simi Kamal, Hisaar Foundation Roberto Lenton, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute Robert Meaney, Valmont Industries Inc. Keith Olsen, Nebraska farmer, Nebraska Farm Bureau (retired) Prem S. Paul, University of Nebraska–Lincoln University of Nebraska Conference Staff Faculty Planning Committee University of Nebraska–Lincoln Marc Andreini Office of Research and Economic Development Ann Bleed Tom Farrell Elizabeth Banset Sheri Fritz Joel Brehm Michael Fromm Peg Filliez Lilyan Fulginiti Mari Greer John Gates Rachael Herpel Mark Gustafson Bryan Kinnan Suat Irmak Vicki Miller Sally Mackenzie Kristen Ohnoutka Monica Norby Jon Ross Ron Yoder Tim Savage Mike Zeleny Peter Stewart Corrie Svehla Karen Underwood Ashley Washburn Becky Zavala 4 Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Preface ................................................................................................................................................ 9 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1: Solving the Water for Food Equation ............................................................ 20 President’s Welcome ........................................................................................................................... 22 James B. Milliken, President, University of Nebraska The Future of Water for Food: Addressing the Challenge .................................................................. 24 Roberto Lenton, Founding Executive Director, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute, University of Nebraska The Future of Agriculture: A Look Through the Green-Blue Water Lens ................................................................................................................ 28 Malin Falkenmark, Senior Scientific Adviser, Stockholm International Water Institute, Sweden Water and Food Security: Stumbling Toward Malthusian Oblivion or Pioneering Cornucopia? .................................................................................................. 31 Colin Chartres, Director General, International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka Working Together for Water: Collective Action and Property Rights ................................................. 35 Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute System and Crop-Level Drivers of Grain Production in Rainfed Agriculture ..................................... 39 Victor Sadras, Associate Professor, Principal Scientist, Crop Ecophysiology, South Australian Research and Development Institute Water-Related Challenges to Global Food Security ........................................................................... 43 Charles Iceland, Senior Associate II, World Resources Institute Chapter 2: Blue Water, Green Water and the Future of Agriculture ....................... 46 Agricultural Producers Panel – A View from the Field ....................................................................... 48 Industry Leaders Panel ....................................................................................................................... 54 Women, Water and Food Panel Discussion ....................................................................................... 60 Innovative Water Governance in Nebraska and Brazil ....................................................................... 68 Closing Panel ...................................................................................................................................... 76 Proceedings of the 2012 Water for Food Conference 5 Chapter 3: Scientific Sessions ............................................................................................... 82 Emerging Crop Technologies for Improving Performance in Tough Environments .......................... 84 New Technology for Stressed Fields ................................................................................................ 84 Breeding for Drought Tolerance ....................................................................................................... 85 Using Proven and New Technologies ............................................................................................... 85 Aluminum Tolerance Genes ............................................................................................................. 86 Breeding Epigenomes ...................................................................................................................... 86 Groundwater Resource Assessment in Water-Stressed Regions: Past, Present and Future .................................................................................................................... 87 Modeling Studies for Groundwater Systems .................................................................................... 87 Abstractions Versus Recharge ......................................................................................................... 88 Hard Rock Water Resources ........................................................................................................... 88 Assessing and Expanding Zambia’s Resources ................................................................................ 88 Water Laws and Sustainability .......................................................................................................... 89 Appendix ......................................................................................................................................... 90 Juried Poster Competition .................................................................................................................. 92 Conference Participants ..................................................................................................................... 98 Conference Photos ........................................................................................................................... 106 Ag Tour Photos ................................................................................................................................. 112 6 1 – Section Title Proceedings of the 2012 Water for Food Conference 7 Foreword In May 2012, as we convened the fourth global Water for Food Institute is to move innovative Water for Food Conference in Lincoln, Neb., research, technologies and ideas out of the record-setting crop yields were being forecast for laboratory and into the hands of farmers and U.S. farmers. By August, a historic drought had resource managers through creative partnerships engulfed one-third of the nation, driving up grain with private and public sector organizations prices and confirming the linkage between water throughout the world. and food security and the need to address this complex challenge on a global level. The Water for Food Conference, hosted by the University of Nebraska with major support The focus of the 2012 Water for Food Conference, from the Robert B. Daugherty Charitable “Blue Water, Green Water and the Future of Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Agriculture,” was relevant globally and certainly Monsanto and Syngenta, brought together in Nebraska, where agriculture relies equally about 500 people from 28 countries working to on blue and green water. Forty-six percent of ensure water and food security. We heard from Nebraska’s crops are irrigated with “blue” water small- and large-scale farmers, plant scientists, from the High Plains Aquifer and rivers and industry leaders, natural resource managers, streams; the other 54 percent are rainfed, government officials and many others. This depending on “green” water. report documents the ideas and discussions that emerged from the conference. Nebraska farmers,