Logan Burtch-Buus, University Communications

today

New report from University of Arizona as Arizona farmers and ranchers face worst water crisis in state history southwest center It suggests that a variety of new agricultural practices, water policies, and increased access to information may help keep the agricultural industry thriving and sustain river ecosystems in the Lower Colorado River Basin.

The report, Towards Water-Resistant Agriculture in Arizona: Future Scenarios for Addressing Water Scarcity in the Lower Colorado Basin, was commissioned by the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy at the Lincoln Institute and sponsored by the University of Arizona. Written by researchers and collaborators in The Sonoran Desert Museum and Sustainable Waters, a global water education service.

“This agricultural water crisis is arguably the worst in the Colorado River Basin since Arizona was founded more than a century ago,” he said. Gary Nabana research social scientist at the Southwest Center and a Kellogg Endowed Chair Southwest border food and water security“It is important for the university to find and implement solutions that help not only Arizona’s farmers, but everyone else who may soon be affected by resource scarcity and rising prices.”

According to the report, the Colorado River’s natural replenishment sources of snowmelt and rainfall have declined in recent decades by 20 percent from their 20th-century average. Even though river water volume has decreased, society’s use of rivers has not decreased. As a result, in 18 of the last 23 years, urban and agricultural water demand has exceeded the rate at which rivers can replenish. The primary water source, the Colorado River, supplies water to his two largest reservoirs in the country, Lake Powell and Lake Mead. Both were nearly full at the end of the 20th century. The two lakes will be closed in his 2022, leaving about three-quarters empty.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, through the Office of Reclamation, is closely involved in managing the water supply of the Colorado River Basin. This includes regulation of the amount of water Arizona receives. A federally mandated water rationing in early 2023 reduced Arizona’s allotment of 592,000 acre feet from the Colorado River, a 21% reduction in supply. This reduction is in addition to an 18% reduction in 2022, or 512,000 acre feet.

All water users may notice changes such as higher water bills, but the reductions will primarily go to individual and tribal farms in Pinal, Maricopa and Pima counties that rely on surface water for irrigation. Influence. Brian Richter, co-author of the report and president of Sustainable Waters, said the irrigated farms most severely affected by water disruptions will reduce their total surface water quotas by 87% in 2022. I had already dealt with that. 2021 water distribution from the river.

Mr Nabhan said the change in water policy has left farmers powerless. Aquifers are already depleted, and although pumping is expensive, we will look to increase groundwater pumping to meet irrigation needs. Aquifer decline, coupled with rising temperatures, increased soil salinization, and water loss through evaporation and transpiration, will make the water scarcity dilemma even greater for Arizona farmers, even if they are not dependent on surface water. adding stress.

“These cHanging makes it increasingly difficult to grow the same crops and use the same irrigation methods that farmers in the southwest desert have relied on. For over 100 years,‘ said the co-author of the report Erin Riordanuniversity researcher Arizona Resilience Institute Conservation Research Scientist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

sail in shallow water

In August, the Southwest Center met with farmers, ranchers, water policy experts, agroecologists, food systems analysts, and other experts to start conversations about how to adapt in the face of the growing water crisis. You have submitted a 100-question survey. The following month, the center hosted a retreat with interested parties. biosphere 2During the retreat, participants brainstormed solutions that would benefit the agricultural industry and its consumers while balancing the water needs of the environment.

The Retreat’s interdisciplinary team develops possible strategies for water-tolerant agriculture, identifies factors that may aid or impair the adoption of those strategies, and provides case studies of climate adaptation on farms. made recommendations and identified knowledge gaps. The group also identified three key issues for legislators, tribal and water professionals and the agricultural industry to address. water security, integrated agriculture and watershed management, and restoring the value of abandoned agricultural land in the Colorado River Basin.

Potential solutions to address these key problems are as far-reaching as the problems themselves and include developing markets for redistributing water among agricultural users. Cultivation of more climate-friendly crops and native plants. Develop shaded areas or use solar panels to provide shade for farming. The possible solutions included in the report can be implemented at the scale of a single field, an entire farm or rural community, a watershed, or the entire Colorado River watershed.

“We want to demonstrate that we already have potential solutions at hand that can help farmers reduce their input costs and get better prices for their harvests,” Navan said.

The report also highlights changes in Arizona’s water and energy availability, as well as the sources of technical, legal, and financial assistance available to help farmers adapt to an ever-changing climate. is also focused on

This report is one of several UArizona initiatives aimed at helping Arizona farmers.

The university and three nonprofits received a $4.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture late last year to establish the Arizona Partnership for Climate Smart Food Crops. Solutions that reduce costs while promoting value-added products in the economy.

U Arizona President Robert C. Robbins It also announced the formation of a Presidential Advisory Council on the Future of Agriculture and Food Production in Dry Climates. This committee is charged with proposing actions to utilize the University’s resources to maintain agricultural productivity when water is scarce.

Navan said the agricultural industry needs to invest in a shift to water- and fuel-efficient practices that serve as an economically viable adaptation to long-term water scarcity, “not just a quick fix that doesn’t move the needle.” said there is

“If we can stabilize or improve crop values ​​per acre while reducing water and energy costs, everyone benefits in the long run,” he said.