Co-designing next-generation drought resilience solutions for the Northern Great Plains through community-engaged science, modern monitoring, and equitable partnerships.
The Northern Great Plains faces escalating drought variability — from flash droughts to rapid wet–dry swings — with consequences measured in billions of dollars in agricultural losses, disrupted water supplies, and deepening inequities across rural communities and Tribal Nations.
NGP RIDR is a National Science Foundation-funded initiative that brings together researchers, land managers, state and federal agencies, Tribal Nations, and private-sector partners to build a durable, equitable, and scientifically modern drought assessment system for the region — and a national model for what comes next.
NGP RIDR is organized around five interconnected solutions that together modernize how drought is assessed, communicated, and acted upon across the region.
A shared, multi-state drought assessment plan built on agreed indicators, governance structures, and inclusive stakeholder processes.
Shifting from proxy indices to direct water-balance indicators using knowledge-guided machine learning and dense mesonet observations.
Open, authoritative dashboards built with the communities and agencies they serve — transparent, reproducible, and designed for multiple audiences.
Aligning drought science with insurance and USDA program frameworks to improve risk assessment and incentives for adaptation.
Tribal data sovereignty, tribal-facing dashboards, and sustained workforce development pathways in drought monitoring and assessment.
Leadership and solution leads from across the Northern Great Plains gathered in Missoula January 21–22 to align on expectations, surface regional challenges, and set the direction for Phase I of the NSF-funded drought resiliency incubator.
NGP RIDR is funded by the National Science Foundation through the Regional Resilience Innovation Incubator (R2I2) Program.
