News Archive

Surveying a field of 50,000 green peppers, Daniel de Almeida proudly explains how he “produces” all the water needed by crops and livestock on his farm on the outskirts of Brasilia, a city about to end water rationing after a severe drought.

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Agriculture uses a lot of water. But what if that water were used for more than growing food? What if it could generate energy—renewable energy? It can, and a program in Colorado is helping farmers harness hydropower to lower costs, save time—and conserve the water itself.

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Long-term conservation trials conducted on rotated grain crops in the Swartland and Southern Cape during the drought have produced promising results.

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U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced that New Mexico State University (NMSU) Agriculture Extension Program has received a $1.18 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The Resilient Agroecosystems in a Changing Climate award will fund research into the best strategies for arid land farmers and ranchers in the Southern Great Plains in Union County, New Mexico, Las Animas, Colorado, and Cimarron County, Oklahoma to adapt to times of drought.

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How can organizations finance the changes needed to preserve groundwater? In Brazil, where drought has left the countryside parched, farmers are being paid to improve infrastructure and implement groundwater preservation techniques.

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Farmers and plant breeders can now build their own automated field camera track system to collect data on dynamic plant traits, such as crop lodging and movement, as it’s happening in the field to help reduce losses in crop yield.

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Dr. Becky Grubbs, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service turfgrass specialist in College Station, has published a Water-Wise Checklist for Texas Home Lawns and Other Turfgrass Areas to help with lawn maintenance this summer.

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The data on saving soil and protecting water quality is clear. Conservation practices work. However, they take time and money, and other priorities can get in the way. The Root River Field to Stream Partnership gathered data, but more importantly, it engaged with growers and encouraged conversations among growers that led to positive changes.

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India will need to feed approximately 394 million more people by 2050. Meanwhile, many of its regions are chronically water-stressed, and nutrient deficiencies are widespread — 30 percent of Indians or more are anemic. But a new study shares a brighter outlook: replacing some rice with less thirsty crops could dramatically reduce water demand in India, while also improving nutrition.

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With much of the West either “abnormally dry” or in drought conditions, no-till farming advocates say that method could be a way to better utilize the water that’s available.

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