The University of Nebraska Foundation has received a $50 million gift commitment from the Robert B. Daugherty Charitable Foundation to support a global Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska. Water for food is one of the top priorities of the Campaign for Nebraska, a $1.2 billion fundraising campaign publicly announced in October 2009. The Daugherty gift will create a center for research, education and policy analysis related to use of water for agriculture.

University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken said the gift will allow the university to become a global resource for developing solutions to the challenges of hunger, poverty, agricultural productivity and water management. “By 2050, the world’s population will increase by 40 percent and demand for food—produced with finite amounts of land and water—will double,” Milliken said. “We have the experience and opportunity to build a global center in Nebraska, leveraging the knowledge and resources of the University of Nebraska and other leading institutions to help alleviate human suffering and food insecurity.”

Nebraska sits atop the High Plains Aquifer, has more acres under irrigation than any other state and is one of the top agriculture states in the U.S.

Robert B. Daugherty, of Omaha, Neb., is the founder of Valmont Industries, one of the most successful irrigation companies in the world. “The University of Nebraska is in the right place, at the right time, with the right people to provide global leadership in this important area,” he said. “Improving agricultural productivity has been my life’s work. I can’t think of a better investment to sustain that work than this institute.”

Clarence Castner, president of the University of Nebraska Foundation, said the gift is one of the largest single gifts the foundation has ever received. “This is a significant gift to the Campaign for Nebraska and will provide unlimited possibilities in water and policy research in the future,” he said. “We are grateful to the Daugherty Foundation for its generosity and support.” The gift, which is pledged over several years, brings the campaign total to nearly $736 million toward the $1.2 billion goal.

See video of Mogens Bay, chairman and CEO of Valmont Industries, on the importance of water.

Read the news release.