About the Irrigation Innovation Consortium

Project

The Irrigation Innovation Consortium (IIC) is a collaborative research effort to accelerate the development and adoption of water and energy efficient irrigation technologies and practices through public-private partnerships. The Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR) provides funding for the project on a 1:1 basis with non-federal dollars. Funds from non-federal partners support individual projects, specific university collaborators, or the full IIC. Together with foundation funds, these strategic collaborative partnerships will catalyze innovative technology development and enhanced strategies for irrigation efficiency.

The Consortium has five founding university partners and five founding industry partners (please visit the Partners page for more information on these entities). Initial participants are working to create a platform for other universities, federal agencies and the private sector to work together on the critical water challenges facing agriculture, municipalities and industry. This platform will allow for the development of more strategic collaborative partnerships that generate new synergies by leveraging each other’s expertise, technology and resources.

Project Goals

The overarching goal of the IIC is to create an internationally recognized, self-sustaining center of excellence that promotes and enhances water and energy efficiency in irrigation, ultimately creating greater resiliency in food and irrigated landscape systems. Building dynamic, collaborative public-private partnerships will help to increase access to information and technical expertise, while enhancing irrigation technology innovation.

Geographic Region

The Consortium seeks to address growing water scarcity domestically (e.g. western United States) and internationally by enhancing energy and water use efficiency in irrigated food systems and amenity landscapes.