DWFI Timeline

The History of the Institute

The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute is in full stride, working in concert with a powerful network of state, national and global partners who are all committed to ensuring water and food security for future generations. It is nearly impossible to compile a list of all the impactful projects the institute has developed and supported in the past decade. The following timeline reflects a sampling of the institute’s varied and innovative achievements. DWFI’s annual reports, as well as other publications from DWFI staff and affiliated faculty, are available to read and download from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Digital Commons.

The founding of the institute

“The test is not research and policy papers that end up in archives in educational institutions. We’ll know this has been a success if 5 years from now, or 10 years from now, you go somewhere in the world, and they say, ‘We had a problem with water; we contacted the Daugherty Water for Food Institute; they helped us out; and we solved our problems.’ That will be success.” - Mogens Bay

The full story behind the institute’s founding is available on our website.

2009

Mogens Bay, chairman of the Robert B. Daugherty Foundation, met with JB Milliken, president of the University of Nebraska, to share Bob Daugherty’s vision of a global research institute focused on improving water use in agriculture to ensure food security
To gauge interest in the institute, the University of Nebraska hosted its first Water for Food Global Conference in 2009 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Attracting high-level speakers from around the world and many attendees, University of Nebraska leaders knew this was a valued concept to help address an urgent global need

2010

The Robert B. Daugherty Foundation made a $50 million gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation to fund the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute
Prem Paul, vice chancellor for research and economic development, and his staff assumed much of the early work of the institute, including conference planning
A search committee began worldwide recruitment for the founding executive director and other key leadership positions
Hosted the 2010 Water for Food Global Conference, “Water for Food: Growing More with Less”
Hired Rachael Herpel as a research and outreach coordinator, first member of DWFI staff

2011

Began recruiting paid faculty to lead water and food security research
Hired Marc Andreini, a civil engineer and hydrologist, as a senior research scientist
Hosted the 2011 Water for Food Global Conference, “Paths to Solutions”
Started the Faculty Fellow program, recognizing and supporting faculty who shared the institute’s focus on water and food security from a variety of research disciplines
Established UNESCO-IHE double degree program with UNL. The degree students receive from UNESCO-IHE is the MSc degree in Water Science and Engineering with a specialization in Land and Water Development. UNL awards the MS degree in Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering, with a specialization in Advanced Water Management for Food Production

2012

Hired Roberto Lenton, former director general of the International Water Management Institute, to lead the institute as its founding executive director
Hosted the 2012 Water for Food Global Conference, “Blue Water, Green Water and the Future of Agriculture”
Incorporated the Nebraska Water Center and Water Sciences Lab into DWFI
Recruited more Faculty Fellows and enhanced their development
Started building communications capacity with website, social media, print materials
Started establishing partnerships and leveraging funding
Co-hosted policy events internationally and in Nebraska: World Water Week, World Water Forum, Institute on Science for Global Policy conference in Nebraska

2013

Prepared a clear strategy to guide the institute’s work
Hired Chittaranjan Ray as director of the Nebraska Water Center
Hosted the 2013 Water for Food Global Conference, “Too Hot, Too Wet, Too Dry: Building Resilient Ecosystems”
Expanded Global Yield Gap and Water Productivity Atlas to include several new countries
Increased the number of Faculty Fellows and supported research
Hired Christopher Neale as director of research
Built partnerships with global agencies, such as The World Bank, the International Water Management Institute and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

2014

Rounded out the DWFI leadership team with the hiring of Nicholas Brozović as director of policy and Molly Nance as director of public relations and communications
Moved into new office space at the recently built Nebraska Innovation Campus
Developed a strong set of collaborations with national and international partners, balancing work in Nebraska with global outreach, including in India, Brazil, China and selected countries in East Africa and the Middle East and North Africa region
Convened policy dialogues, workshops and seminars
Initiated the Water for Food Institute Student Support Programs for undergraduate, graduate students and postdocs working with Faculty Fellows on subjects related to the institute’s mission
Developed 2015-2020 strategic plan
Hosted the 2014 Water for Food Global Conference, “Harnessing the Data Revolution: Ensuring Water and Food Security from Field to Global Scales,” in Seattle, Washington

2015

Established the Water Advanced Research and Innovation (WARI) fellowship program for Indian students with the Indo-U.S. Science & Technology Forum and UNL
Developed the Water for Food entrepreneurship accelerator
Held the first annual Student Support Research Forum
Collaborated with FAO to develop a remote sensing-based water productivity product and to establish a regional platform to serve these products in the MENA region
Partnered with IARI on drought monitoring, irrigation efficiency, and improving drought and salt tolerance of crops 2015
Convened sessions at the World Water Forum, World Water Week and co-hosted a significant conference on water quality trading with the USDA and EPA that brought more than 200 state and federal government and private sector attendees to Lincoln
Began the Water for Food Global Institute Undergraduate Intern Program, providing internships to highly qualified students
Enhanced communications strategy with focus on video, targeted social media and improved website navigation

2016

University of Nebraska Regents selected Hank Bounds as president of the University of Nebraska. He joined the DWFI board of directors
Hosted the 2016 Water for Food Global Conference, “Catalytic Collaborations: Building Public-Private Partnerships for Water and Food Security”
Added 18 Global Fellows, external to the University of Nebraska, whose geographic locations strengthen the institute’s global influence
Launched the GloDET satellite based ET monitoring project with the Nebraska Drought Mitigation Center, with funding from USAID through ICBA
Supported a student study tour of water scarcity and research in Amman, Jordan
Began research with partners on the NIFA-funded Ogallala Water Coordinated Agriculture Project (OWCAP) project to support crop and livestock production and sustain the communities of the High Plains region
Created “NRD Stories,” an oral history of Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts
With FAO and the University of Manchester, DWFI developed AquaCrop-OS, which enables rapid analysis of crop yield response to water
Roberto Lenton transitioned to a faculty role and Peter G. McCornick, deputy director of the International Water Management Institute, accepted and assumed the position of Executive Director, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute.
Became a founding member of the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG), an international partnership, hosted by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN, aimed at addressing water scarcity in agriculture

2017

DWFI and Faculty Fellow research projects expand across the Midwest, California and 77 countries
DWFI hosted the 2017 Water for Food Global Conference, “Water for Food Security: From Local Lessons to Global Impacts”
Entered into a new partnership with the Association of Irrigators and Farmers of the State of Bahia, Brazil (AIBA) to support the sustainable expansion of irrigated agriculture in southwest Bahia, exploring the region’s Urucuia Aquifer System as the water source
Developed a joint EDF/DWFI report to identify the best management practices for incentive-based groundwater management in the Western United States
Co-led a project with Faculty Fellows using VRI, drones and remote sensing technology to help farmers increase food production, while conserving water and energy, using a combination of soil water content monitoring, remote sensing from drones and satellite systems and modeling
CK Duryea joined the institute as its first director of development
NWC coordinated research targeting the shallow vadose zone, or unsaturated zone, to gain insights on how nitrates accumulate and move through groundwater. The data will help cities and NRDs learn how to manage and mitigate contamination
DWFI invested in a new Water for Food Processing Initiative to help the private sector optimize water use in food processing and reduce waste in food, water and energy
In partnership with the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), DWFI began development of an agricultural drought monitoring and early warning system for India

2018

Updated the strategic plan for FY2018-2023
Leaders of the World Bank, USDA and USAID invited DWFI to co-convene a conference, hosted at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., focused on expanding sustainable irrigation in developing countries
Became a founding partner in the formation of the Irrigation Innovation Consortium, a strategic collaborative research effort designed to accelerate development of water and energy efficient irrigation technologies
Collaborated with students in the Raikes School Design Studio at UNL to develop new data analysis and visualization tools in a farm database dashboard
A Nebraska delegation of university and DWFI leaders and faculty visited Bahia, Brazil, to collaborate with AIBA, focusing on achieving a significant economic impact and improved water and food security in Bahia
NWC and WSL initiated the “Know Your Well” program, an educational project started at NU that engages high school students and teachers in sampling and testing groundwater quality
With FAO, planned and convened the water for agriculture track at the World Water Forum in Brazil
Executive Director McCornick was elected to the World Water Council’s board of governors
Received a significant gift from the Ivanhoe Foundation, which is eligible for matching additional gifts for student research
Redesigned the DWFI website, creating a more visually compelling and mobile-friendly design

2019

Hosted the 2019 Water for Food Global Conference, “Water for a Hungry World: Innovation in Water and Food Security”
Completed the Nebraska Water Productivity Report, which reflects significant improvements in yield per drop of water used for crops, livestock and biofuels over the past three decades
Participated in flood management workshops to address Nebraska’s historic flooding and its impact on agriculture and water quality
Further developed a flux tower system across Nebraska to provide real-time ET data to farmers, NRD managers, scientists and others through the Parallel 41 website
Initiated research in the Bazile Groundwater Management Area (BGMA) in Northeast Nebraska, working with four Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) to mitigate and manage nitrate contamination
Collaborated with the Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources to research irrigation business models in Rwanda, collecting data to support scalable solutions
Worked with Raikes School students to solve connectivity problems with soil moisture smart meters. The students’ well-designed solution won the Raikes School Platinum Project award for best project
Developed “SEEDS,” an upper-class learning community at UNL focused on global entrepreneurship, agriculture and sustainable development, which included a three-week experiential study trip to Rwanda
Produced a video featuring donors Robert and Karla Baltzell and their Student Innovator Fund, which garnered more than 8,200 views on Facebook alone
Published an interactive map called UNDA, providing high-level information about projects, including description, focus area, status, start and end dates, country and people involved

2020

Collaborated with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to develop a 3-year project promoting the provision of irrigation water services to smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.
Worked with university partners and Nebraska stakeholders to engage the Nebraska Legislature and secure recurring state support for the institute.
A $5 million gift from the Claire M. Hubbard Foundation established the Water, Climate and Health (WCH) program at the University of Nebraska. The WCH program is a joint initiative between the University of Nebraska Medical Center, DWFI, and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
The Nebraska Water Center (NWC), part of DWFI, brought Sorab Panday, a nationally recognized groundwater modeler, to UNL as a research professor. Key to this effort was a collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, which provided travel support.
DWFI’s Nebraska Water Center team led the multistate Ogallala Water Coordinated Agriculture Project (OWCAP) funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The effort brought together stakeholders to support research and practical approaches to extend the productive life of the Ogallala aquifer.
Received a Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) grant to support agtech entrepreneurship; understand critical agtech ecosystem needs in the Midwest; and help startups manage COVID-19 disruptions. DWFI worked with The Combine, a Nebraska-based agtech incubator, to support companies serving tens of millions of acres of row crop agricultural production.
Produced the first episode of the Water for Food Podcast, an opportunity to amplify the voices of those making waves in the water and food security space.

2021

Peter G. McCornick, DWFI’s executive director since 2016, was reappointed for a second five-year term, beginning July 1, 2021.
The University of Nebraska Foundation achieved its goal of raising $1.5 million to fully utilize the matching endowment funds from the Robert B. Daugherty Foundation and establish a $3 million endowment to support student research in water for food.
Initiated a 5-year, $3 million U.S. Department of Energy project to establish how much carbon is being sequestered through the production system and how much greenhouse gas (GHG) is being emitted. The data can be used in models to establish future carbon credits for farmers.
DWFI’s Nebraska Water Center continued to address nitrate levels in the Bazile Groundwater Management Area (BGMA) and Nebraska by providing coordination between University of Nebraska faculty, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts and other partners. The Know Your Well program was expanded to all the schools in the area, and four new faculty began research projects in BGMA.
Dan Snow, laboratory director at the Water Sciences Laboratory, part of DWFI, led a project to test the injection of ground wood cellulose to produce conditions where more than 95% of applied nitrate is eliminated.
DWFI’s Rwanda-based team conducted dozens of interviews to understand the irrigation ecosystem for smallholder farmers, setting the stage for its future research on irrigation as a service in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Water, Climate and Health Program co-hosted the University of Nebraska launch of the 2020 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, one of a handful of regional launch events across the country.
The Water, Climate and Health Program held a Water and Health Summit to bring together leaders to clarify issues related to health and water in Nebraska, define obstacles to key solutions and operationalize solutions.
Twenty-six students completed an online course, “Securing and Sustaining Water for Food Globally,” that was taught by DWFI staff, which allowed testing of virtual engagement technologies and strategies. For their capstone project, students worked with staff from a large multinational company on a sustainability analysis using real data and applying tools and insights from the class.
Hosted the Water for Food Global Forum, a month-long, virtual event to engage international experts, growers and organizations in the absence of an in-person conference. Participants tackled issues related to achieving global water and food security through 22 virtual sessions with more than 80 speakers sharing their expertise.

2022

Development, operation and application of DWFI’s suite of decision support tools for agricultural management continued to gain traction. The suite includes the network of flux towers (Parallel 41), the Global Daily Evapotranspiration (GloDET) and the Spatial Evapotranspiration Modelling Interface (SETMI).
Released a research report on the business ecosystem for smallholder irrigation in Rwanda that shares key findings from a recent study that maps and analyzes the business ecosystem for smallholder irrigation in Rwanda. Results of the report were presented by Peter G. McCornick at the World Water Forum in Senegal.
Researched groundwater transfer rules among Nebraska’s NRDs, noting how the transfer types and processes are different between the districts. Research results have been published and shared on DWFI’s website.
The Water for Agriculture project, which includes Chittaranjan Ray, NWC Director and several DWFI faculty fellows as co-PIs, is funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. A significant output of the project, Stakeholder Engagement in Natural Resources: A Guide to Concepts, Tools, and Strategies, is designed to help anyone develop a community-led, stakeholder-engaged approach to address issues in natural resource and community settings. In Nebraska, the North Platte Local Leadership Team used this resource to provide input and help organize the third Yonts Water Conference in April.
DWFI and NWC contributed financially and provided programmatic, promotional and administrative support to the successful University of Nebraska Testing Ag Performance Solutions (UNL-TAPS) program. Most recently, NWC provided support to the team who successfully applied for and received a Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant for $850,000. Led by DWFI Faculty Fellow Daran Rudnick, “Accelerating adoption of water conservation technologies and management practices through innovative engagement programming” is providing support directly to producers to adopt and evaluate innovative conservation practices and offset implementation risks.
Provided student support for UNL-TAPS. Jamie Duan, a Ph.D. student in the UNL Biological Systems Engineering Department, worked on Development of Research and Demonstration Sites in the Bazile Groundwater Management Area for Groundwater Nitrate Reduction, advised by Daran Rudnick and Derek Heeren, another DWFI Faculty Fellow.

2023

Successfully hosted its 10th Water for Food Global Conference. “Cultivating Innovation: Solutions for a Changing World,” was a partner event for the 10th World Water Forum, the world’s largest water-related forum organized by the World Water Council.
NWC faculty led a new study exploring the relationship between legacy nitrogen and inputs on arsenic and uranium in the vadose zone — the portion of Earth above groundwater. Their research results, titled “Interplay of legacy irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer inputs to spatial variability of arsenic and uranium within the deep vadose zone,” were published in Science of the Total Environment.
The Dashboard for Agricultural Water Use and Nutrient Management (DAWN) Project team, including DWFI faculty and staff, sought farmers and agricultural advisers to provide feedback on the project’s newly launched decision-support tools, made available on the DAWN website. Agricultural producers explored the DAWN web tools and signed up for the newsletter, which also provided opportunities to participate in surveys and focus groups.
Irrigation services in Rwanda reveal key insights into finding scalable farmer-led solutions to increase irrigated agriculture globally. In the report titled, “Current state of irrigation-as-a-service for smallholder farmers in Rwanda,” DWFI explored ways smallholder farmers access irrigation through lending and renting when they do not own irrigation equipment and how some smallholder farmers become irrigation entrepreneurs.
A World Wildlife Fund report titled “Sustainable Groundwater Management for Agriculture,” featured a case study from Nebraska and the work of DWFI Program Manager Renata Rimšaitė. The highlighted case study focused on statewide groundwater management through Nebraska’s NRDs.
After three years of collaboration, DWFI Director of Water, Climate and Health Jesse Bell and UNMC College of Public Health Dean Ali S. Khan, M.D., made their final contributions to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, the foremost review of research on the current and future impacts of climate change in the U.S. They authored the assessment’s chapter on human health.
A summer irrigation lab and field course led by DWFI Faculty Fellow Derek Heeren helped his students ground their class lessons through in-person farm and industry visits.
Convened researchers, ag-tech entrepreneurs, policymakers, producers and others for a “view from the field” event in western Nebraska. The event created a space for connections and discussion surrounding water for food at the farm level.

2024

Successfully launched the newly funded United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Irrigation and Mechanization Systems (ILIMS). The lab built on DWFI’s previous investments in smallholder agricultural water management and provided support for a major strategic program.
Ensured water for agriculture was a key focus at the 10th World Water Forum (WWF) held May 18-25, 2024, in Indonesia. Held every three years by the World Water Council (WWC) and a different host country, WWF brings together stakeholders from around the globe to share their knowledge, experience, and practices regarding a wide range of topics. More than 20,000 participants and visitors from 160 countries attended.
Grew program on sustaining water management for productive agriculture in Brazil. As an outcome of DWFI’s earlier work with the state of Bahia, Brazil, and the visit of the governor of Mato Grosso to the 2023 Water for Food Global Conference, DWFI has hosted several different state and federal delegations from Brazil that seek to better understand how Nebraska has developed and maintained productive irrigated agriculture and governed water resources.
Secured support from the Upper Colorado River Commission to expand DWFI’s existing Parallel 41 Flux Network into the Upper Colorado River Basin states of Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico with ten new eddy covariance flux towers.
As part of a federal cooperative agreement, two NWC researchers supported the USDA Agricultural Research Service to develop the next generation of their widely used crop models for corn, soybean, cotton, rice, and potato.
Celebrated the 10th anniversary of the DWFI student support program. Since it began in 2014, the institute has allocated more than $4.2 million to 143 student research projects. These funds are awarded to Faculty Fellows to be used for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students pursuing research that advances our mission to ensure a water and food secure future for our world. More than $3 million of these funds have been matched one-to-one by faculty. DWFI has supported the Platte Basin Timelapse program since it was established 10 years ago.
DWFI Executive Director Peter G. McCornick announced he would be stepping down from his role at the end of 2025.
Awarded a three-year, $3.5-million grant from the Gates Foundation to support a new research project focused on expanding the reach and impact of Irrigation as a Service (IaaS) for small scale farmers.

2025

Brought together eight founders from seven countries for a workshop in Uganda, marking the largest-ever gathering of companies dedicated to Irrigation as a Service (IaaS). Following the workshop, DWFI highlighted eight entrepreneurs who are developing innovative solutions to improve water access for smallholder farmers in its Irrigation as a Service (IaaS) Entrepreneur Series.
Partnered with UNL’s Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance to provide Yeutter Fellows with a spring break trip to Ghana to research how an irrigation company could best position itself to help meet the irrigation needs of the African continent and enrich the students’ personal and professional development.
Hosted the 2025 Water for Food Global Conference, which included a 15th anniversary celebration of the institute. More than 350 attendees from 23 different countries came together to tackle the critical challenge of ensuring a resilient future with water and food security for all.
Cambridge University Press launched a new Cambridge Sustainability Commission on Water for Food Futures (CWFF) led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and DWFI to address the critical challenges of balancing water security and food security over the next 15 years. Results will be published in Cambridge University Press’s Global Sustainability journal in 2027, contributing vital research and insights to the global understanding of these pressing issues.
Active at the 2025 World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden and online, ensuring that agriculture remained central to the global water conversation. The DWFI team contributed to the SIWI Seminar Series titled Water for Food in a Changing Climate: Pathways to Adaptation and Mitigation and presented in multiple sessions. DWFI was also a part of The Nature Hub, a collaborative space hosted with partners The Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund and others.
A new thematic map depicting primary water rights systems across the U.S. was developed by a collaborative team from DWFI, the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) and the Department of Agricultural Economics, all at the University of Nebraska. This innovative tool provides a clearer understanding of the variability of surface water and groundwater rights systems, which are crucial for effective water management and policy development by researchers, policymakers and landowners alike.
Resumed the Water Advanced Research and Innovation (WARI) Program, which connects students and early-career faculty at universities and institutions in India with faculty at partner universities in the U.S. to conduct research together.

2026

Joe Sanders assumed the position of Executive Director for DWFI, following nearly a decade of leadership by previous Executive Director Peter G. McCornick.