Irrigation Technologies
Irrigation Technologies include different methods of irrigation as well as technologies to allow irrigators to apply the right amount of water at the right time to their crops. Methods of irrigation are categorized into gravity systems (flood or furrow), high pressure irrigation (i.e. sprinklers), and low pressure irrigation (drip systems).[1] "Low-pressure irrigation systems generally require less water than either high-pressure or gravity-based irrigation systems and are consequently viewed as the most efficient. High-pressure systems are viewed as being the next most efficient technology, with gravity systems considered the least efficient. However, this ranking does not always hold as a rule."[1]
Contents
What Prompts Farmers to Switch Irrigation Technologies?
Although a 1997 study found that irrigators' main response to drought is taking land out of production,[2] irrigators could potentially keep land in production but decrease water use by switching to a different irrigation technology.
Several studies found that farmers adopt irrigation technologies based on well depth, water price, land quality, and crop type.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Additionally, some crops are incompatible with some irrigation methods.[6]
A 2002 study of a water district in California's Central Valley found that irrigators generally do move to more efficient systems (i.e. from gravity to high pressure or low pressure systems) as water prices rise, but the rate of change differs by crop. Additionally, growers are influenced not solely by the price of water, but by the price of water relative to the prices of other inputs.[1]
Last, in areas where frost or heat stress may occur, growers of some crops may opt for sprinklers over drip irrigation as it can help mitigate both frost and heat stress.[10]
Articles and resources
Related SourceWatch articles
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Schuck, E. C., & Green, G. P. (2002, July 28). Farm Level Irrigation Technology Decisions over Time.
- ↑ Sunding, D., D. Zilberman, R. Howitt, A. Dinar and N. MacDougall. 1997. Modeling the Impacts of Reducing Agricultural Water Supplies: Lessons from California's Bay/Delta Problem, in D. Parker and Y. Tsur, eds., Decentralization and Coordination of Water Resource Management, New York: Kluwer.
- ↑ Caswell, M., and D. Zilberman. 1985. The Choices of Irrigation Technologies in California. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 67:223-34.
- ↑ Caswell, M., and D. Zilberman. 1986. The Effects of Well Depth and Land Quality on the Choice of Irrigation Technology. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 68:798-811.
- ↑ Cason, T., and R. Uhlaner. 1991. Agricultural Production's Impact on Water and Energy Demand: A Choice Modeling Approach. Resources and Energy 13:307-21.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Green, G., D. Sunding, D. Zilberman, and D. Parker. 1996. Explaining Irrigation Technology Choices: A Microparameter Approach. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 78:1064-72.
- ↑ Negri, D., and D. Brooks. 1990. Determinants of Irrigation Technology Choice. Western Journal of Agricultural Economics. 15:213-23.
- ↑ Nieswiadomy, M. 1988. Input Substitution in Irrigated Agriculture in the High Plains of Texas, 1970-80. Western Journal of Agricultural Economics 13:63-70.
- ↑ Schuck, E. C. and G. P. Green. 2001. Field Attributes, Water Pricing, and Irrigation Technology Adoption. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 56:293-298.
- ↑ Olen, B., Wu, J., & Langpap, C. (2012, August 12). Crop-Specific Irrigation Choices for Major Crops on the West Coast: Water Scarcity and Climate Determinants.
External resources
External articles
- Ayars, J. E., Fulton, A., & Taylor, B. (2015). Subsurface drip irrigation in California—Here to stay? Agricultural Water Management, 157, 39–47.
- Bhaduri, A., & Manna, U. (2014). Impacts of Water Supply Uncertainty and Storage on Efficient Irrigation Technology Adoption. Natural Resource Modeling, 27(1), 1–24.
- Dridi, C., & Khanna, M. (2005). Irrigation Technology Adoption and Gains from Water Trading under Asymmetric Information. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 87(2), 289–301.
- Evans, R. G., & Sadler, E. J. (2008). Methods and technologies to improve efficiency of water use. Water Resources Research, 44(7), W00E04.
- Medellín-Azuara, J., Howitt, R. E., & Harou, J. J. (2012). Predicting farmer responses to water pricing, rationing and subsidies assuming profit maximizing investment in irrigation technology. Agricultural Water Management, 108, 73–82.
- Olen, B. (2012). Irrigation choices for major West Coast crops: water scarcity and climatic determinants.
- Olen, B., Wu, J., & Langpap, C. (2012, August 12). Crop-Specific Irrigation Choices for Major Crops on the West Coast: Water Scarcity and Climate Determinants.
- Pfeiffer, L., & Lin, C.-Y. C. (2014). Does efficient irrigation technology lead to reduced groundwater extraction? Empirical evidence. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 67(2), 189–208.
- Ranjan, R. (2014). Technology Adoption for Long-Term Drought Resilience. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 140(3), 384–392. http://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000329
- Schuck, E. C., & Green, G. P. (2002, July 28). Farm Level Irrigation Technology Decisions over Time.
- Whittlesey, N. (2003). Improving irrigation efficiency through technology adoption: When will it Conserve water? In A. S. A. and W. W. Wood (Ed.), Developments in Water Science (Vol. 50, pp. 53–62). Elsevier.
