Name: Innovating solutions: Water for food futures
Start: 2026-03-18T18:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-03-18T20:00:00+00:00
Location: Cass Centre, Cambridge University Press

Innovating solutions: Water for food futures

Join Rachael McDonnell for this talk where she updates us on progress with the Commission for Water and Food Futures (CWFF).
About this Event

The Commission for Water and Food Futures (CWFF) aims to foster innovative thinking, collective action and investment to address the pressing challenges of balancing water and food security over the next 15 years. Join Rachael McDonnell (Deputy Director General, IWMI) for this talk where she updates us on progress with the Commission.

To address growing water insecurity in a changing world, we must transform how we plan, implement and scale water solutions, shifting towards innovative, contextualised approaches that meet rising food demands while protecting ecosystems, livelihoods and health. Crucially, agricultural systems must be seen not just as water consumers but also as contributors to water production and ecosystem restoration.

Launched in 2025, the Commission on Water for Food Futures (CWFF) will assess current science, policy and practice on water security for agriculture, to guide strategic thinking and support a just transition in both food and water systems.

The CWFF will build on the work of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW), which advocates “a new revolution in food systems,” bringing additional insight, case studies and lessons learned, and also an overview of emerging trends and innovations. Its focus areas are being defined through consultations with practitioners, policymakers, investors and other key stakeholders across the globe, ensuring CWFF is demand-driven and grounded in real-world priorities.

The CWFF is a collaboration between the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) and Cambridge University Press (CUP), and will be operational from 2025–2027. This session will be led by Rachael McDonnell (Deputy Director General, IWMI), who is leading the Commission. Rachael will share insights from the Commission to date, and there will be a chance for the audience both in the room and online to ask questions.