As a global irrigation technology leader, Rubicon Water is very pleased to be one of the founding members of the Irrigation Innovation Consortium, which launched on April 27 at the Water in the West Symposium in Denver, Colorado.
The group has been formed to accelerate the development and adoption of water and energy efficient irrigation technologies. As a member of the group, we will be collaborating with university researchers to demonstrate how our solutions can ultimately create a more productive and resilient irrigated agriculture sector.
In addition to Rubicon, the Consortium’s members are:
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- California State University, Fresno
- Colorado State University
- Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska (DWFI)
- Irrigation Association (IA)
- Jain Irrigation
- Kansas State Research and Extension, Kansas State University
- Lindsay Corporation
- Northern Water
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research
The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) awarded a US$5 million grant to launch the Consortium. The $5 million FFAR grant was matched by participants for a total initial investment of $10 million to support research and collaboration costs over five years.
The Consortium will co-develop, test, prototype and improve innovations, equipment, technology and decision and information systems designed to equip “farms of the future,” with cutting-edge technologies and optimisation strategies to enhance irrigation efficiency. Initial research priorities include water and energy efficiency, remote sensing and big data applications for improving water management, irrigation technology acceleration and technology transfer. University scientists will collaborate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service on some components of the research.
Knowledge gained will be shared through publications, workshops and seminars.
