Texas Tech’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources and the American Water Works Association – Texas Section are collaborating to host the inaugural Agricultural Water Sustainability Summit (AWSS) on Aug. 7-9 at Lubbock’s Memorial Civic Center.
"An active dialogue between ag and urban water users is critical to making well-informed decisions on water use in the region,” said Krishna Jagadish, the Thornton Distinguished Chair within Tech’s Department of Plant & Soil Science and director of the Davis College’s Water Center. “This annual summit provides the right platform for achieving this objective and for ensuring sustainable use of our underground water resource.”
According to a AWSS news release, the goal of this partnership is to create a nation-wide forum for all water users, including municipalities, industry, producers, researchers and students to share and learn about the various needs related to water and focusing solely on water issues.
In Texas, as in most states, agriculture is the largest consumer of water, using more than 60 percent of the available supplies annually. This water produces $159.3 billion of food and fiber each year for the nation, which is 8.6 percent of the Texas gross domestic product. Given this positive impact on the economy of Texas and the food/fiber supply of the nation, the use of water in agriculture is of major importance.
Sustainability of this vital resource and the products it produces will require innovation and collaboration with other users like municipalities as well as extensive planning for the future of all water resources.
Looking ahead, the AWSS news release indicated that the meeting would create a forum for stakeholders to gather, exchange ideas and knowledge, and create a new vision of how water will be used in the future.
Organizers aim for this annual event to be the premiere relevant ag water event in North America - where visionary research, applications and practitioners from across the U.S. will gather to discuss how to create water sustainability for agriculture, as well as the state and nation.
CONTACT: Krishna Jagadish, Professor, Department of Plant & Soil Science, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-7953 or kjagadish.sv@ttu.edu
0722M24 / Editor’s Note: For more information on the summit, registration, or vendor information, please click here or contact Monica Hightower at monica.hightower@ttu.edu