International Water for Food conference in Lincoln May 2-5

Experts from around the world will discuss the challenge of producing more food for an increasing population with limited water supplies at the second international Water for Food conference May 2-5 in Lincoln.

Hosted by the University of Nebraska and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the "Water for Food: Growing More with Less" conference will explore the research, policy and educational advances that will help feed a hungry and thirsty world. The conference at Lincoln's Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, 333 S. 13th St. [map], is open to all who register. The conference package, including registration, hotel and meals is $600; conference registration and meals only is $150. Registration, schedule and speaker information are available online at http://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/2010.

Featured speakers will include Pedro Sanchez, the 2002 World Food Prize laureate and director of the Tropical Agriculture and the Rural Environment Program at the Earth Institute at Columbia University; John Briscoe, Harvard University, whose career has focused on water and economic development; David Molden, deputy director general for research at the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka; Marianne Banziger, deputy director general for research and partnerships at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center; and Jeff Raikes, CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"The University of Nebraska is exceptionally well-positioned to provide global leadership in the strategic use of water for food," said NU President James B. Milliken. "We have the expertise, built on over 60 years of research and policy analysis in issues relating to water, to help identify solutions to some of the most pressing problems in the world today: hunger, poverty and agricultural productivity. That is why we are able to attract the leading water experts in the world to Nebraska for this important conference."

More than 30 speakers, from scientists and farmers to representatives from organizations and industry, will discuss diverse aspects of water for food during plenary and concurrent sessions. Concurrent sessions will focus on five broad themes:

* Genetics and Physiology of Crop Water;

* Human Dimensions of Water for Food Production;

* Technologies and Advances in Water Management;

* A View from Agricultural Producers; and

* Climate Challenges to Water for Agriculture.

"This conference offers a unique opportunity for researchers and agricultural producers from Nebraska to share their knowledge of water and agriculture with experts from throughout the world," said UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman. "This exchange of knowledge is critical to our ability to feed a global population that will double in the next 40 years."

Last year's inaugural Water for Food conference drew representatives from universities, industry, agricultural production, government and nongovernmental organizations worldwide. That conference explored how a Water for Food Institute being established at the University of Nebraska can bring an international perspective and expertise in many disciplines to research focused on using limited water supplies to ensure a reliable food supply now and in the future.

"After last year's conference, it was clear that Nebraska can and should be an international leader in the area of water for food," said Prem S. Paul, UNL vice chancellor for research and economic development. "By expanding our international leadership, we can learn from others as well as helping to address this pressing global issue."

WRITER: Vicki Miller