Panel discussions on women, water and food as well as industry and producer perspectives on food security and production are among the sessions that will be webcast live during the 2012 global Water for Food Conference May 30-June 1 in Lincoln.

More than 450 people from at least 26 nations are expected to participate in the fourth annual conference sponsored by the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute at the University of Nebraska and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at The Cornhusker Hotel.

Registration is required and information is available on the conference website, waterforfood.nebraska.edu/wff2012.

Those who can't attend can watch selected presentations live via the Web. Six sessions will be webcast. When the conference begins, viewing instructions will be posted on the website at waterforfood.nebraska.edu/wff2012. Presentations scheduled for live webcast are (all times are CDT):

May 30:

– 10:30 a.m., "The Future of Water and Agriculture: Addressing the Challenge," Roberto Lenton, founding executive director, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute.

– 11:15 a.m., "The Future of Agriculture: A Look through the Green-Blue Water Lens," Malin Falkenmark, senior scientific adviser, Stockholm International Water Institute, Sweden.

– 2:15 p.m., "Working Together for Water: Collective Action and Property Rights," Ruth Meinzen-Dick, senior research fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute.

– 3:30 p.m., Agricultural Producers Panel featuring farmers from Nebraska, Iowa, Argentina and India.

May 31:

– 8:30 a.m., Industry Leaders Panel, presented by Global Harvest Initiative, moderated by Jeff Raikes, CEO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with representatives from Elanco, IBM, John Deere, Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred.

– 1:30 p.m., Women, Water and Food Panel Discussion, featuring panelists from Brazil, Nepal, South Africa and the U.S.

Registration information and conference details are available on the conference website.

The conference fosters international dialogue on key issues related to the use of water for agriculture and provides opportunities to learn from speakers with extensive experience and perspectives from diverse cultures. This year's presentations will focus on the conference theme, "Blue Water, Green Water and the Future of Agriculture."