A center pivot irrigation system and irrigation canal in a field in New Mexico. Credit: Ivo Zution Gonçalves | DWFI

A new study by researchers at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska offers a comprehensive national-scale assessment of irrigated agriculture in the United States in recent years. Published in Agricultural Water Management, the findings carry important implications for the future of food production, water policy, and rural livelihoods across the country.

The study, "Irrigated agriculture in the United States: Current status and future frontiers," draws on multiple datasets supported by robust geospatial analysis to paint a detailed picture of where irrigated agriculture stands today, where it is headed, and what must change if the U.S. is to sustain its role as a global food security anchor.…