In the 43rd episode of the Water for Food Podcast, host Frances Hayes speaks with Claudia Ringler of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) about the crucial link between irrigation and global health, expanding on Ringler's recent Heuermann Lecture as part of the 2025 Water for Food Global Conference and previous episodes in this podcast. Together they explore how irrigation can improve health outcomes while also addressing potential unintended negative impacts and how to avoid...
Jun 27, 2025•41 min
This special episode of the Water for Food Podcast commemorates the 15th anniversary of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute by sharing the story of its origin. Read the full historical account here . The 15th anniversary year will be highlighted by a celebration reception at the upcoming 2025 Water for Food Global Conference, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, April 28-May 2. Learn more at waterforfood.nebraska.edu....
Mar 31, 2025•7 min
After years of dedicated work from many people and sectors, UNL has released new recommendations for nitrogen fertilization of irrigated corn. In this episode, Nebraska Water Extension Educator, Crystal Powers, talks to UNL professor of agronomy, Richard Ferguson, who has been involved in the project from the start.
Feb 28, 2025•18 min
In the 40th episode of the Water for Food Podcast, DWFI Director of Communications and Public Relations Frances Hayes sits down with Darren Siekman at the Valmont Industries headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Darren is the Vice President of Policy and Industry Strategy at Valley Agriculture, a Valmont Company. The two discuss Valmont's history and global presence and the importance of center pivot irrigation in agricultural productivity, as well as current challenges and future innovations in achi...
Jan 08, 2025•29 min
Navigating climate change: impacts on water stress and agricultural production in Nebraska Nebraska, located in the U.S. “Corn Belt,” is well known for its agricultural and livestock production, generating around $31.1 billion in agricultural cash receipts in 2023. But how will climate change impact long-term agricultural production, and how can we adapt to changes to ensure water security and food supply for future generations? In this episode, DWFI Communications Specialist Arianna Elnes talks...
Nov 27, 2024•21 min
Episode 38 - Irrigation expansion’s varying impacts on nutrition Irrigation expansion can provide the water necessary to increase food production for our growing world. It can also be a means for moving farmers from simply producing enough food for their families to generating more income through domestic markets or export of additional production. However, increasing use of irrigation can have varying impacts on the nutrition of the local communities and it’s important to consider these costs a...
Oct 07, 2024•24 min
ILIMS Deputy Director Jude Cobbing - Opportunities of Irrigation and Mechanization In November 2023, the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute announced a new USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Irrigation and Mechanization Systems (ILIMS). ILIMS enhances global food security by generating research-based solutions to support the growth of vibrant irrigation and mechanization markets; develops strong institutions and local capacity for their sustainability; and fosters opportunities for ...
Jul 23, 2024•29 min
Drought is a prolonged dry period that can occur anywhere in the world and results in a water shortage. Unlike some other disasters, drought has a slow onset and a prolonged impact on health, agriculture, economies, energy and the environment. An estimated 55 million people globally are affected by droughts every year and as many as 700 million people are at-risk of being displaced as a result of drought by 2030. As of June 4, 2024, more than 10 percent of the U.S. is experiencing a drought, acc...
Jun 28, 2024•36 min
Farmers are the original agtech innovators. As the population grows, and water resources become scarcer, there is a need for continued innovation in agricultural technologies, and a ready network to foster and accelerate them. The 2024 Nebraska Agtech Innovation Ecosystem Map, jointly published by Water for Food and The Combine AgTech Incubator by Invest Nebraska , outlines the ecosystem for entrepreneurs and all actors to connect with resources in the agtech community. In this podcast episode, ...
Apr 29, 2024•23 min
The Fifth National Climate Assessment is federally mandated by Congress and released every four years to serve as the foremost review of research on the current and future impacts of climate change in the United States. In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, DWFI Director of Communications and Public Relations Frances Hayes discusses key findings of the report with three of its co-authors. DWFI Faculty Fellows Andrea Basche and Tonya Haigh co-authored the Northern Great Plains chapter, w...
Mar 25, 2024•58 min
Aakanksha Melkani, a postdoctoral research associate at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, researches the economic implications of drought in the United States, specifically on agricultural sectors. In this edition of the Water for Food Podcast, we are sharing an episode of Nebraska on Tap , a podcast produced by the Middle Republican Natural Resources District in Nebraska. Host of the show, Heather Dizmang, discusses Aakansha’s findings so far, as well as her time in Africa studying...
Feb 26, 2024•21 min
The Melting Cryosphere and Food & Water Security, with Randall Ritzema, Tika Gurung, and Nick Brozović A 2023 report called Water, ice, society, and ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: An Outlook (HI-WISE), published by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) , was an urgent call for how disappearing snow and ice in the Hindu Kush Himalayas will impact water resources for nearly two billion people. But the cryosphere exists elsewhere, too, as part of the glob...
Jan 22, 2024•30 min
Yufeng Ge, Santosh Pitla and David Jones have already conducted research in the areas of ag-relevant sensors for more efficient application of fertilizer and water, and the development of an autonomous planter capable of seeding a 5-acre field all on its own. But now they’ve set their sights quite a bit higher — growing food in space. The three biological systems engineering faculty at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, along with others on their research team, were awarded a two-year Grand Cha...
Dec 20, 2023•34 min
Since 2013, UNL Water Sciences Lab Director Dan Snow and other researchers in the University of Nebraska system (NU) have collaborated with faculty and students in Central Asian institutes to improve water quality research across the globe. The purpose of this effort is to share NU’s knowledge and expertise in water quality research with a region that has limited resources and important water quality issues to address. In this episode, guest host Ann Briggs, public relations and engagement coord...
Nov 30, 2023•16 min
DWFI was recently selected to lead USAID's Feed the Future Lab for Irrigation and Mechanization Systems (ILIMS). In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, Nicole Lefore, the director of the new lab and the associate director of sustainable agriculture water management at DWFI, shares the purpose of USAID's overall Feed the Future initiative; how ILIMS will support smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries and how the lab can ultimately reduce global hunger, poverty and undernu...
Oct 27, 2023•27 min
Ron Yoder is a pillar of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln community and most recently served as the senior associate vice chancellor for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln ‘s (UNL’s) Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR). In this episode, DWFI Director of Communication and Public Relations Frances Hayes talks with Ron about the important role he played in formation of DWFI more than 10 years ago. They also look back on Ron’s storied career on the eve of his retirement. Ron join...
Sep 13, 2023•20 min
Aug 21, 2023•18 min
This is the second in our series of podcasts from the 2023 Water for Food Global Conference, May 8-11. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Mure Agbonlahor, who works at the African Union Commission as senior Policy Officer, and Louise Mabulo, chef, farmer, entrepreneur, and founder of The Cacao Project.
Jul 10, 2023•17 min
Soumya Balasubramanya, Senior Economist at The World Bank, was a speaker at the recent 2023 Global Water for Food Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska. This is the first in a series of podcasts from the conference.
Jun 26, 2023•23 min
Daugherty Water for Food Institute (DWFI) Research Program Manager Ankit Chandra and Director of Policy Nick Brozović recently published research on “ Entrepreneurial trends in the Indian agricultural water ecosystem ” and the larger business landscape of agricultural water use and investments. In this edition of the Water for Food podcast, we are sharing an episode of Agribusiness Matters, hosted by Venky Ramachandranin, in which Ankit and Nick are interviewed about their latest research. Agrib...
May 18, 2023•1 hr 20 min
In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, Nebraska Water Center Public Relations and Engagement Coordinator Ann Briggs sits down with her colleague and Water Sciences Laboratory Director Dr. Dan Snow who shares his path to water quality research in Nebraska and beyond. They address known and emerging contaminants throughout the state, building international partnerships, and the importance of water quality research.
Mar 27, 2023•25 min
Dave Aiken is a DWFI faculty fellow and a professor of agricultural economics at UNL’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. His research areas include water law and policy, energy law, environmental law and global warming. In this episode, DWFI Communications Specialist Arianna Elnes talks to Dave about water law, water legal histories, the South Platte River Compact, and context around the legislation to build the Perkins County Canal in Nebraska. As background, the South Platte Rive...
Mar 02, 2023•25 min
In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, DWFI Communications Specialist Arianna Elnes discusses exciting projects coming out of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute and what lies ahead in the upcoming year with Executive Director, Dr. Peter McCornick. McCornick leads the institute in delivering on its vision of a water and food secure world, building its partnerships and collaborations in Nebraska, nationally in the US, and other key food producing regions in the world. He is a te...
Jan 12, 2023•27 min
20 – Christopher Neale – Remote sensing, water and agriculture In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) Director of Communications Frances Hayes sits down with her colleague and DWFI’s Director of Research Dr. Christopher Neale . Dr. Neale shares how his technical research translates to a more sustainable agricultural system through more precise use of water and savings for farmers. Dr. Neale joined DWFI in 2013 and oversees its research eff...
Dec 05, 2022•35 min•Ep. 20
Renee San Souci – Member of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, DWFI Director of Communications Frances Hayes caught up with Renee San Souci at the 2022 Platte River Basin Conference in Kearney, Nebraska. Renee was a featured speaker at the conference, providing a tribal perspective on creating vibrant, resilient solutions for the future of the people and wildlife who depend on the Platte River. The Platte Rivers runs through Nebraska and is a brai...
Nov 07, 2022•33 min
Renata Rimšaitė is a senior program manager with DWFI and the National Drought Mitigation Center . Renata studies incentive-based water management, including tools designed to motivate or incentivize water using or managing parties to modify the way they use water, not only because it is sustainable, but also because it's in their financial interest. Water markets is an example of incentive-based water management and can be used to provide flexibility and lower drought risk to crop growers. In t...
Oct 03, 2022•15 min
DWFI Faculty Fellow Karina Schoengold is leading a $6 million, 4-year project to reduce the use of plastics, herbicides and associated environmental impacts in agricultural production. The use of plastics has been growing in agriculture over recent years to help increase productivity by limiting weeds, protecting growth and extending growing seasons. The team aims to create a bio-based material called BioWRAP (Bioplastics with Regenerative Agricultural Properties) which can be sprayed onto the f...
Sep 13, 2022•12 min
Erin Haacker is a hydrogeologist and assistant professor at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. As Erin would say, her professional path has been a winding road. She has two bachelor’s degrees – zoology from the University of Montana and geology from University College Cork in Ireland. She ventured to Michigan State University for her Ph.D., double majoring in environmental science and policy and is now teaching in UNL’s Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences. Erin is interested in groun...
Aug 08, 2022•34 min
Roric Paulman is a producer and owner of Paulman Farms , located just south of Sutherland, Nebraska and in the heart of the Ogallala Aquifer, comprised of both irrigated and rain fed farmland. The farm was established and harvested its first crop in 1985 and uses the latest on-farm technology to grow more than a dozen crops. It is one of two “smart farms” in Nebraska that DWFI and the Nebraska Water Center helped the University of Nebraska–Lincoln establish to test the real-world ability of inno...
Jul 31, 2022•27 min
Jackson Stansell is CEO and founder of Sentinel Fertigation , a Lincoln, Nebraska ag startup founded in 2021 that uses drone- and satellite-collected imagery to predict when a corn crop needs fertilization — saving growers money and reducing environmental impact. Jackson has a connection to the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. He received student support from the institute while working on his masters in agricultural engineering at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Jackson is now als...
Jul 24, 2022•30 min
