Water for Food Director Roberto Lenton to speak March 18

Earlier this month, media outlets across the country covered the release of new analysis that says the Great Plains is poised for an exceptional megadrought sometime between the years 2050 and 2100.

Drought preparedness and management will be exceedingly important in Nebraska and the region in coming years.

For this month's Paul A. Olson Seminar in Great Plains Studies, Roberto Lenton will speak about drought-management techniques, focusing on water storage systems.

Lenton is the founding executive director of the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska and a specialist in water resources and sustainable development. Before coming to the university, he chaired the World Bank's Inspection Panel and was senior adviser at Columbia University's Earth Institute.

Lenton will speak on new angles for thinking about the big issues of managing drought, coping with water scarcity and achieving food security.

"(My talk showcases) a new framework for considering the connections between water, food and energy, and how societies can cope with drought," Lenton said.

Lenton will speak on March 18 at 3:30 p.m. at the Center for Great Plains Studies at 1155 Q St. in downtown Lincoln. The talk is free and open to the public. Visit the center’s website at www.unl.edu/plains for more information.