UArizona Represented at Int'l Conference on Groundwater in Agriculture
Image: Lisa Porta. Panelists From L–R: Ellen Hanak, Paul Gosselin, Sharon B. Megdal, Thomas Harter, Amal Talbi, Alvar Closas
The third installment of the international conference, Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture, was held in Burlingame, California, on June 17–20, 2024. The conference delivered on its promise to link science and policy, with a lineup of workshops and diverse speakers that delved into issues of groundwater management, water quality, and agricultural irrigation and productivity. UArizona Professor Ty Ferre of the Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Department hosted discussions focused on the need for trained hydrogeologists. UArizona Associate Director for Extension and Associate Extension Specialist Ethan Orr’s presentation on “Policy Tools and Programs for Agricultural Groundwater Management in the American West” reported on Arizona-funded efforts to improve irrigation efficiency. WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal, who served on the Conference Council that assisted in organizing the conference, spoke about groundwater governance and agriculture in Arizona and moderated the panel titled “Economic and Policy Challenges to Groundwater Management Roundtable.” Megdal also served on the closing plenary panel, “Engaging and Moving Forward,” an aptly titled session for this forward-looking and engaging conference. It is expected that session recordings will be available for free viewing sometime this fall. Be on the lookout for the notice of their availability in a fall issue of the Weekly Wave.