Federal Funding Powers Water-Efficient Farming, Protects California’s Future

By Anila Lijo

The University of California, Davis, has long stood in the top tier of U.S. research universities, driving forward innovation that transforms lives. However, the university’s ability to continue this groundbreaking work is now in jeopardy, as the federal government — the single largest funder of UC Davis research — has terminated and threatened grants.

Areas such as climate change, health equity and gender-affirming care may see sharp declines in support.

In this shifting environment, UC Davis and the UC Office of the President are engaging with lawmakers across party lines to protect research funding and explain the real-world benefits of academic science. 

One such example is the research of Isaya Kisekka, a professor of hydrology and agricultural water management in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources. Kisekka leads research on sustaining groundwater use in irrigated agriculture.

California’s fields and orchards feed the nation, but they also sit at the epicenter of one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time: sustainable water use in agriculture. While researchers across the state are racing to solve problems that determine the long-term resilience of California’s food system, their ability to deliver hinges on strong, consistent funding.

The state’s water system is under stress. Communities are facing depleted aquifers and shrinking snowpacks. In response, laws like the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, require groundwater basins to reach long-term sustainability, a shift that affects nearly every grower in the state.