Nick Brozović
Director of Policy
Bio: Since 2014, Nick Brozović has served as the Director of Policy for the University of Nebraska’s Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. He is also a Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Nick has over twenty years of international experience working on policy, technology, and entrepreneurship issues related to water and agriculture. He is a broad collaborator across nonprofit, for profit, academic, public sector and policymaker boundaries.
Particular areas of interest include: smallholder irrigation; natural resource policy and governance; agricultural and water entrepreneurship; and economic analysis. Recently, he’s supported irrigation entrepreneurs in the US, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia; collaborated with multiple agtech incubator programs; provided corporate strategy and ESG consulting; and completed research on water risk and the value of water in agriculture.
Nick holds doctoral and master’s degrees in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California-Berkeley, a master’s degree in geology from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in geology from Oxford University.
Responsibilities:
- Lead policy and entrepreneurship programs of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, including oversight and mentoring of staff, student interns, and postdoctoral researchers.
- Convene, facilitate, and manage collaborative multidisciplinary and international engagement on water resource management with staff, faculty, students, and university partners and external partners in for profit, non-profit, government, and multilateral institutions.
- Plan and implement institute’s strategic and sustainability goals as part of DWFI leadership team.
Selected Outputs:
Publications and Multimedia
Journal articles, book chapters, reports
2024
- Balasubramanya, S., Garrick, D., Brozović, N., Ringler, C., Zaveri, E., Rodella, A.-S., Buisson, M.-C., Schmitter, P., Durga, N., Kishore, A., Minh, T., Kafle, K., Stifel, D., Balasubramanya, S., Chandra, A. and Hope, L., 2024, “Risks from solar-powered groundwater irrigation.” Science, 383, 256-258, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adi9497.
- Mieno, T., Foster, T., Kakimoto, S., and Brozović, N., 2024. “Aquifer depletion exacerbates agricultural drought losses in the US High Plains.” Nature Water 2, 41–51, https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-023-00173-7
2023
- Akaliza, N., Bodnar, L., Brozović, N., Mukarusagara, G., Turatsinze, F., and Urujeni, R., 2023. “Current state of irrigation-as-a-service for smallholder farmers in Rwanda.” Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/-/media/projects/dwfi/our-work/researchpolicy/entrepreneurship/2023_02_07-irrigation-as-a-service-rwanda.pdf.
- Chandra, A., and Brozović, N., “Entrepreneurial trends in the Indian agricultural water ecosystem.” Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, 10p. https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/our-work/research-and-policy/entrepreneurship-sa/irrigation-agtech-1.
- Chandra, A., and Brozović, N., “Agtech startups and the business ecosystem for agricultural water use in India.” Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, 12p. https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/our-work/research-and-policy/entrepreneurship-sa/irrigation-agtech-2.
- Chandra, A., Heeren, D., Odhiambo, L., and Brozović, N., 2023. “Water-energy-food linkages in community smallholder irrigation schemes: Center pivot irrigation in Rwanda.” Agricultural Water Management. 289, 108506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108506.
- Garrick, D., Balasubramanya, S., Beresford, M., Wutich, A., Gilson, G.G., Jorgensen, I., Brozović, N., Cox, M., Dai, X., Erfurth, S., Rimšaitė, R., Svensson, J., Jones, J.T., Unnikrishnan, H., Wight, C., Villamayor-Tomas, S., and Mendoza, K.V., 2023. “A systems perspective on water markets: barriers, bright spots, and building blocks for the next generation.” Environmental Research Letters, 18(3), https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acb227.
- Rimšaitė, R., and Brozović, N., 2023. “Groundwater Transfers in Nebraska.” Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/-/media/projects/dwfi/resource-documents/reports-and-working-papers/groundwater-transfers-in-nebraska.pdf, 30 p.
- Rimšaitė, R., and Brozović, N., 2023. “Groundwater development paths in the U.S. High Plains.” Oxford Encyclopedia of Water Resources Management and Planning. Oxford University Press, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.832.
2022
- Akaliza, N., Bodnar, L., Brozović, N., Mukarusagara, G., Turatsinze, F., and Urujeni, R., 2022. “Mapping and analysis of the business ecosystem for smallholder irrigation in Rwanda.” Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, 36 p., https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/-/media/projects/dwfi/resource-documents/reports-and-working-papers/mapping-and-analysis-of-the-business-ecosystem-for-smallholder-irrigation-in-rwanda.pdf.
- Balasubramanya, S., Brozović, N., Fishman, R. Lele, S., and Wang, J., 2022, “Managing irrigation under increasing water scarcity,” Agricultural Economics, 1574-0862; DOI: 10.1111/agec.12748.
- Rimšaitė, R., Brozović, N., Munezero, S., and Hayes, F., September 2022. “Statewide groundwater management through local conservation districts” Case study 6: United States (Nebraska), World Wildlife Fund, Washington, DC, https://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/sustainable-groundwater-management-for-agriculture.
- Rouhi Rad, M., Mieno, T., and Brozović, N., 2022, “The role of search frictions and trading ratios in tradable permit markets,” Environmental and Resource Economics, v.82(1), 101-132.
Briefs, infographics, blogs, newsletters
2023
- Barry, A., Keza, O., Williss, R., Rimšaitė, R., Jayasakera, H., Brozović, N., “Private Well Water in Nebraska: Challenges and opportunities to reduce nitrate consumption and potential health complications.” Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute infographic, https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/-/media/projects/dwfi/news/2023/reducing-nitrate-intake/2023-11-07_privatewellmanagersgraphic.pdf.
- Brozović, N., and Rimšaitė, R., November 2023. “Sneak peek – groundwater policy research in progress.” Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute blog, https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/news-and-events/news/2023/11/sneak-peek---groundwater-policy-research-in-progress.
- Urujeni, R., Akaliza, N., Mukarusagara, G., Bodnar, L., and Brozović, N., 2023. “Agriworks Business Model Canvas.” Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/-/media/projects/dwfi/our-work/researchpolicy/entrepreneurship/agriworks-business-model-canvas/2023_11_29-agriworks-bmc.pdf.
- Williss, R., Rimšaitė, R., Melkani, A., and Brozović, N., 2023. “Agricultural Water Use.” Infographic series, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/our-work/research-and-policy/agricultural-water-use.
2022
- Brozović, N., May 2022. “(Re)Thinking About Farmer-Led Irrigation.” Agrilinks blog, https://agrilinks.org/post/rethinking-about-farmer-led-irrigation.
- Rimšaitė, R., and Brozović, N., September 2022. “Agricultural Groundwater Transfers in Nebraska: Decision Process for Buyers & Sellers.” Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/-/media/projects/dwfi/resource-documents/institute-resources/agricultural-groundwater-transfers-in-nebraska.pdf.
- Rimsaite, R., Munezero, S., and Brozović, N., 2021-2022. “Transferring groundwater in the High Plains.” Infographic series, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/our-work/research-and-policy/transferring-groundwater-in-the-high-plains.
Videos and podcasts
2024
- Ritzema, R., Gurung, T., Brozović, N., (A. Elnes host), January 2024. “The Melting Cryosphere and Food & Water Security.” Daugherty Water for Food Podcast, https://dwffpodcast.libsyn.com/32-the-melting-cryosphere-and-food-water-security.
2023
- Chandra, A., and Brozović, N., (V. Ramachandran host), May 2023. “Managing Water.” Agribusiness Matters podcast, https://www.agribizmatters.com/p/managing-water-nicholas-brozovic.
Presentations and Engagements
2024
- Speaker, Nebraska & Czechia Irrigation Roundtable: Sharing Experience and Best Practices, organized by the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Chicago, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, and the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, “Irrigation Policy,” 29 February 2024, virtual.
- Keynote speaker, 2024 Sustainable Operations Management Workshop, “Sustainable operations management and global food and water security,” 23 February 2024, Lincoln, Nebraska.
2023
- Organizer (with Ankit Chandra), The/Nudge Institute virtual workshop, “Water Accounting in Agriculture,” 15 December 2023, Lincoln, Nebraska.
- Speaker, 11th Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, “Irrigation-as-a-service for smallholder farmers,” 27 October 2023, Cape Town, South Africa.
- Speaker, Lindsay Corporation/IrrigationNZ, “Groundwater governance in Nebraska,” 11 September 2023, Lincoln, Nebraska.
- Panelist, Stockholm 2023 World Water Week, “Multi-stakeholder Collaboration in Agricultural Water Management: Soultions/Advance SDGs,” 22 August 2023, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Panelist, USAID Innovation Lab For Small Scale Irrigation Symposium, “Looking forward – Building a resilient future: Issues in farmer-centered, smallholder irrigation,” 1 March 2023, Washington, DC.
- Speaker, APEC Policy Partnership for Food Security Senior Officials’ Meeting, “A Three-Tiered Approach to Increasing Sustainable Water and Food Security in the APEC Region: Best Practices for On-Farm Investments in Agricultural Water Efficiency.” 16 February 2023, Palm Springs, California.
2022
- Panelist, AgTech NEXT conference, “Trade: Pursuing Equity and Efficiency.” 12 October 2022, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri.
- Guest speaker, BKT Global Trends, “Episode 5: Water Use.” 15 March 2022. Produced by 20ACTION Entertainment, Milan, Italy. https://www.bkt-network.com/water-use.
Selected External Support:
- USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small-Scale Irrigation and Mechanization, N. Lefore (lead), R. Ritzema, P. McCornick, C. Neale, N. Brozović, US Agency for International Development, $19,000,000, 2023-2028.
- Promoting Sustainability and Resilience of Smallholder Irrigation Impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa, N. Brozović, International Fund for Agricultural Development, $1,000,000, 2020-2024.
Selected Professional Development, Awards, Media Coverage:
Professional Development, Mentoring, Board Engagement
- US Farmers and Ranchers in Action Science Advisory Council, Member, 2024.
- Honor the Harvest Forum Advisory Council, Member, 2024.
- The/Nudge Institute and DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge, Program mentor, 2023-2024.
- Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program, Fellow for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023-2024.
- Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) External Advisory Board (Food, Energy, Water Nexus), Member, 2018-present.
Media Coverage
- " The High Plains Aquifer Is Approaching a Point of No Return,” Ambrook Research, 8 March 2024, https://ambrook.com/research/sustainability/high-plains-aquifer-ogallala-kansas-irrigation.
- “A new look at an old aquifer debate,” High Plains Journal, 19 January 2024, https://hpj.com/2024/01/19/a-new-look-at-an-old-aquifer-debate/.
- “Crop Yields at Risk in Kansas, Nebraska and Texas, Scientists Warn,” Newsweek, 15 January 2024, https://www.newsweek.com/crop-yields-risk-kansas-nebraska-texas-scientist-1860750.
- “What if farmers were taxed on water? In California, some are,” The New York Times, 4 January 2024, https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/01/04/nytfrontpage/scan.pdf.
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