Experts stress importance of irrigation to nutrition, health outcomes

Claudia Ringler, director of natural resources and resilience at the International Food Policy Research Institute, discussed the often-overlooked connection between irrigation and nutrition in an April 29 Heuermann Lecture at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The lecture was part of the weeklong 2025 Water for Food Global Conference, hosted by the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska. 

“If you have water security, you are more likely to have food security,” Ringler told a full crowd in the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center. “If you are water insecure, you are actually consuming fewer food groups and are more likely to be malnourished.”

 Ringler said traditional nutrition science has largely overlooked how irrigation influences dietary quality and health outcomes. Irrigation supports food security, she said, by extending the growing season, improving crop yields, diversifying food production, supporting animal products and enhancing the effectiveness of other agricultural inputs.

“[Through irrigation], we are expanding the growing season, Ringler said. “We are improving the cropping index. We are diversifying the production mix. We improve the benefits of other inputs, such as fertilizers or seed technologies.”

Additionally, in many low- and middle-income countries, irrigation systems support not only agricultural production, but household water needs.

“And so, water for domestic uses is also important for nutrition,” Ringler said. “To maximize the nutrition benefits from irrigation, we have to pay more attention to domestic water.”

There are many opportunities for improvement, she said.

“I think Nebraska, with its strong irrigation industry, is well-positioned to lead in this space, in finding ways to produce more with less water,” she said.

Ringler noted that there is a direct link between research and development investment and food security, and while there has been significant progress, it has also slowed significantly. Many farmers around the world still lack access to the technologies and practices needed to use water efficiently, improve yields and support better nutrition, she said.

Ringler said the relationship between irrigation and nutrition is not a straight line, but intentional planning can help close the gap. She introduced four pathways that can help ensure irrigation systems contribute to improved nutrition:

• Promoting crop biodiversity to increase nutrient density in diets;
• Raising household incomes through productive agriculture;
• Improving water access for hygiene and sanitation;
• Supporting women, who are more likely to be household cooks and child caretakers, to be involved in agricultural irrigation and decision-making, which is linked to reduced child undernutrition.

She also highlighted the challenges of poor sanitation and malnutrition, which frequently occur together in water-insecure communities. In this context, irrigation can be a powerful tool to improve both health and agricultural outcomes.

A panel discussion moderated by Jesse Bell, director of water, climate and health at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, followed Ringler’s talk. During the panel, Abbie Raikes, director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Center for Global Health and Development, noted that food insecurity is not just a global issue.

“Here in Nebraska, nearly 50% of families report some level of food insecurity,” she said.

Drawing on her experience working in Rwanda, where stunting affects 35% to 40% of children, Raikes emphasized the importance of learning from innovations abroad and breaking down silos between agriculture and public health.

“I’ve worked in public health for a long time, and rarely do I see the agricultural community represented,” she said. “It’s encouraging to see this audience engaged and ready to take on the challenge.”

Brandon Hunnicutt, a fifth-generation Nebraska farmer and chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board, echoed the importance of collaboration and innovation, sharing how farmers in the state are working closely with the University of Nebraska to improve water use efficiency and sustainability.

Ringler concluded with a challenge to all attendees:

“Take one thing from this talk and apply it to your work,” she said. “Anyone working in irrigation has the power to help move the needle on nutrition.”

Heuermann Lectures are sponsored by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and funded by a gift from the late B. Keith and Norma Heuermann of Phillips. The Heuermanns have been longtime university supporters, with a strong commitment to the state’s production agriculture, natural resources, rural areas and people.

Watch the full Heuermann Lecture here.