Location: Range Management Research
Project Number: 3050-12610-001-007-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Apr 1, 2020
End Date: Mar 31, 2022
Objective:
Goal: Develop a strategic water research vision for U.S. agriculture with decadal milestones to 2050 to support agricultural sustainability (increased agricultural production, enhanced environmental services, and improved rural prosperity) and to facilitate future, collaborative, and transdisciplinary water research within and outside ARS.
Objective 1: Identify current and emerging areas of concern regarding water quantity and quality impacts to sustainable agricultural production and environmental quality.
Objective 2: Build foundational systems to support future collaborative research. Make research findings and data accessible for future collaborative analysis.
Objective 3: Identify decadal objectives and milestones linked to areas of concern.
Objective 4: Build collaborative research relationships with partner agencies.
Objective 5: Incorporate ideas for working across USDA agencies and with producers to ensure results are used to support sustainable and economically viable agricultural production.
Approach:
We propose to develop a synergistic Strategic Water Research Vision (Vision) for U.S. agriculture to inform cohesive, integrated, and transdisciplinary agricultural water research to the year 2050 with specific decadal objectives and milestones. We propose to invite the leading ARS hydrologic scientists to contribute to a shared vision via a facilitated, intensive week-long workshop. A second workshop will examine the proposed Vision with internal and interagency partners, NGOs, and selected Water Coordinated Agriculture Projects. Here, the group will provide feedback and will identify areas where the Vision aligns with other efforts to allow for collaboration and partnership outside USDA.