The largest freshwater aquifer in the world, the Ogallala, has been an entire generation’s primary source for agricultural and public groundwater in eastern Colorado and six Great Plains states. Ninety percent of its pumped water is used for irrigation, making a fifth of the annual U.S. agricultural harvest possible, and helping support 30 percent of livestock produced in the nation. Since 2016, a Colorado State University-led consortium of eight western universities has worked tirelessly to address these very challenges. The team of experts, students, and partners was formed through a $10 million grant from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Water for Agriculture Challenge program. The USDA-funded work aimed to foster engagement with the people most affected by the declining water supply – the farmers and producers who rely on it and who, above all others, are dedicated to saving it.
For more information, read the Colorado State University article.
For more information, check out the NIFA Blog, "NIFA Impacts: Saving the Ogallala Aquifer, Supporting Farmers".
