Solving challenges around agriculture, food policy, and water access.
The challenge of feeding a global population that is expected to reach 11 billion this century looms large. The availability of water—largely used for food production—is also an enormous challenge, made more difficult by the droughts associated with climate change. The School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences is home to much of Stanford’s expertise in this area. With faculty in areas such as sustainable agriculture, land use, economics, geographic analysis, watershed analysis, and ecosystem services and benefits analysis, Stanford brings an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to this tangled but vitally important set of issues.
Meet some of our faculty involved In Food and Water Security
Our faculty are world class teachers and researchers in their fields, leveraging the latest remote-sensing and data science technologies to understand everything from crop yields to groundwater availability and the economics of famine.
David Lobell
Associate Professor of Earth System Science
Rosemary Knight
Professor of Geophysics
Steven Gorelick
Professor of Earth System Science
Rosamond Naylor
Economist and Professor of Earth System Science
Scott Fendorf
Professor of Earth System Science
Marshall Burke
Economist and Assistant Professor of Earth System Science
Related research groups
Our multidisciplinary research groups bring together cutting-edge knowledge to test ideas for new solutions.
All research groups
How do we manage our freshwater future?
Professor Rosemary Knight explains how amazing new technologies allow us to "see" the groundwater hidden beneath our feet at TEDx Stanford. Watch.
Courses related to food and water security
News related to food and water security
Q&A: Colorado River deal and ongoing challenges
Water and natural resources expert Buzz Thompson discusses a recent tentative deal to reduce water use by entities drawing from the Colorado River, averting near-term potential disaster and predictions that the river could all but stop. (Source: Stanford Law School)
Just add prawns
Giulio De Leo and his collaborators have been testing an unconventional solution to a parasitic disease. (Source: Stanford Magazine)
When to water? Researchers develop new tool for optimizing irrigation
A new tool for designing and managing irrigation for farms advances the implementation of smart agriculture, an approach that leverages data and modern technologies to boost crop yields while conserving natural resources. (Source: Stanford News)
Q&A: Accelerating water solutions
Stanford water and sanitation expert Jenna Davis discusses surprising freshwater challenges and potential solutions in the U.S. and abroad. (Source: Stanford Program on Water, Health & Development)
