A quarter of the planet faces extremely high water stress. Meet the innovators trying to change that
Groundwater forecasting was a winning innovation area in the latest innovation challenge from FoodShot Global. Dr. Laura Condon was a winner, and her team's innovation is receiving broad attention.
Advanced modeling for improved groundwater forecasting
Dr. Laura Condon, an associate professor at the University of Arizona and President and CEO at Hydro Futures, received $250,000 for her work in developing tools for forecasting groundwater and soil moisture. According to FoodShot, such tools can provide more cost-effective prediction tools and improved irrigation and crop choices.
“Our team has developed a national modeling platform for the US that simulates the entire terrestrial hydrologic cycle from the bedrock to the treetops,” Dr. Condon tells AgFunderNews. “So far, our platform has been applied to natural systems but with this funding we will be able to explore new capabilities to simulate irrigated agriculture considering both irrigation practices and crop choices.”
She adds that her team will also join the FoodShot community, which offers “a unique opportunity” for both building connections and applying hydrologic tools to agricultural settings.
“We’re very excited about the way that Laura is leveraging machine learning and advanced modeling to provide farmers with practical information about groundwater and soil moisture,” says Eckhouse.
Read more on the AgFunderNews website.
Read additional coverage of Dr. Condon's work by Hailey Nurry on the Borgen Project website.
Investigate the Water Whys VIP Team, co-led by Dr. Condon and Sara Kobilka.