Organizers hope the summit can become the premier water agriculture event in the country.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Texas Tech University’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources and the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association are collaborating to host the inaugural Agricultural Water Sustainability Summit (AWSS) at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center Aug. 7-9.
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.
“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 in the Department of Plant & Soil Science and director of the Davis College Water Center. “This annual summit provides the right platform for achieving this objective and for ensuring sustainable use of our underground water resource.”
In Texas, as in most states, agriculture is the largest consumer of water, using more than 60% of the available supplies. This water produces $159.3 billion of food and fiber each year, representing 8.6% of Texas’ gross domestic product.
Given the positive impact on the Texas economy and the national food-fiber supply, the use of water in agriculture is of major importance. Sustainability of this vital resource and the products it impacts will require innovation and collaboration with other users such as municipalities and extensive planning for the future of all water resources.
The Agricultural Water Sustainability Summit will 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.
The organizers aim for this annual event to be the premier ag water event in the country, where visionary research, applications and practitioners from across the U.S. will gather to discuss how to create water sustainability for agriculture.
More information on the summit, registration, or vendor information may be found here.