There will soon be an avenue for training that brings together the agricultural, environmental and public sector to deal with future agricultural and climate-related challenges through the Food-Water Nexus Education and Training program. A national team, led by USask’s Dr. Jam Famiglietti, executive director of the Global Institute for Water Security has been awarded $1.65-million over six years to develop the program.

Experts from USask, and the Universities of Regina, Guelph and Waterloo are working together on this. Famiglietti says, “Climate change, combined with degraded water quality, a lengthening dry season, increasingly frequent sever floods and droughts, changing market demands, and aging infrastructure pose a significant challenge for sustainable food production.”

The program will provide interdisciplinary training in hydrology, agriculture, technology, innovation and policy to reduce global inequities in food security. It will prepare the trainees for careers in water or agriculture-related policy, finance, economics and leadership positions. Both undergraduate and graduate students in qualified programs will be eligible to pursue the training.