According to the USDA, irrigation accounts for the largest water demand in the Western U.S., but the ongoing drought has strained water supplies, forcing states to agree to cut consumption to save the Colorado River. The action underscores the urgency researchers, growers, and others feel in the race to develop tools for controlled environment agriculture to manage and reduce resource use in indoor agriculture. In this panel, experts will detail why the need is so urgent, why CEA is critical to agriculture’s future, and the latest findings from RII’s recent report on water circularity.