North Dakota
Science and Technology Plan

The same bountiful natural resources that make North Dakota a key player in agriculture and energy production require significant resources of water. The interdependency between water security, food security and energy is clear as actions in one area has effects in one or both of the other areas. Balance between the three sectors is necessary for human well-being, poverty reduction, and sustainable development across segments of North Dakota’s economy. 

The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus represents the interconnectedness of these three critical resources and the complex relationships between them. In North Dakota, the FEW nexus is particularly significant due to the state's reliance on agriculture, energy production, and water resources. Understanding and managing the interactions between food, energy, and water systems are essential for ensuring sustainable development, resource conservation, and resilience to environmental challenges.
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1. Agriculture and Water: North Dakota has about 302,000 acres of actively irrigated land which amounts to just over 1.1% of the total cultivated land in the state. The predominant irrigated crops are corn, soybeans, small grains, potatoes, edible beans and sugar beets. Irrigated land is often sandy loams or loamy sands scattered across the state and typically located over shallow aquifers. Both water quality (and quantity) of these shallow aquifers can be affected by improper irrigation, highlighting the need for sustainable farming practices and water quality management.

2. Energy and Water: Energy production, particularly from oil and gas extraction, requires significant water resources for drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and other processes. In North Dakota's oil-rich Bakken Formation, water is essential for extracting oil and natural gas through hydraulic fracturing, setting up the potential for competition for water resources between energy production and other sectors, including agriculture. 

3. Food and Energy: The production, processing, and distribution of food require energy inputs, including fuel for machinery, transportation, and refrigeration. In North Dakota, where agriculture is a key economic driver, energy-intensive farming practices contribute to the state's overall energy consumption.

4. Interconnections and Trade-offs: The interactions between food, energy, and water systems in North Dakota involve complex trade-offs and synergies. For example, increasing agricultural production to meet growing food demand may put pressure on water resources and energy inputs, leading to trade-offs between food security, water conservation, and energy efficiency.

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By recognizing the interconnectedness of food, energy, and water systems and implementing integrated approaches to resource management and policymaking, North Dakota can address challenges related to water scarcity, energy security, and food sustainability while fostering economic growth and environmental stewardship. Collaboration among stakeholders, investment in research and innovation, and public engagement are key to advancing the understanding and management of the FEW nexus in North Dakota and beyond.

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RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI) leads the eight-university Mountain-Plains Consortium (MPC), a competitively selected University Transportation Center sponsored by USDOT. UGPTI provides innovative transportation research, education and outreach, with key technologies of national importance are employed in the Center for Surface Mobility Applications and Real-time Simulation environments (SMARTSe), as well as in transportation infrastructure and safety research using low-cost sensor technologies and advanced predictive modeling via machine-learning techniques.

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Intertribal Research and Resource Center (IRRC) at United Tribes Technical College provides research, outreach, training, and education in sustainable food, energy, and water resources with expertise in renewable energy, health impacts of environmental toxins, biomaterials from agricultural products, sustainable agriculture, genetics, geology and wildlife ecology. The IRRC Mission is to provide services and build capacity for enhancing food, energy, and water sustainability for tribal communities in the Northern Plains.

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Educational programs in transportation abound in North Dakota from NDSU’s graduate program in Transportation and Supply Chain to Diesel Technician programs (Dickinson State University, North Dakota State College of Science and Bismarck State College) and Automotive Technician programs (Lake Region State College and United Tribes Technical College).

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Additional Areas of Research Supporting Food, Energy, and Water Nexus

• Forecasting and risk (climate; economic; enhanced predictive analytics in multiple domains; etc.)

• Soil and water health (value added agriculture through the lens of natural resources/environmental science, minimizing input like fertilizer, etc.)

• Sensing and sensor development

• Pollinator research

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Emerging AND New Research Areas for food, energy, and water nexus

• Climate aware-approaches to model and manage at the food-water-energy nexus for production, supply chain/transportation and disaster mitigation

• PFAS impact

• Groundwater and surface water quality, chemistry, and fluid dynamics

• Lifecycle and environmental impact of new materials and coatings

• Environmental research related to salt, water, and soil

• Precision agriculture research including sensors to decrease inputs

• Link between, soil, plants, animals, food and human health Enhanced oil recovery

• Life cycle/environmental impact

• Water management practices