Focusing on food, energy, and water

Abstract

The world’s pending water crisis is immense. Unless usage patterns change, one third of the world’s population—1.8 billion people—will be living in regions where water is scarce by 2025, according to the United Nations. And 70% of all water used by people goes toward agriculture. Now the U.S. National Science Foundation is bringing the agency’s basic science bent to problems at this vital intersection of water scarcity with other important issues. The Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy & Water Systems (INFEWS) program, which began last year and is slated to hand out $50 million in funding in 2016, is pushing researchers to identify ways to deal with the growing demand for food and energy in an era with less available land because of expanding populations and less water for agriculture. Those who work on water issues say it’s high time to make the investment. “We are heading down