Irrigation Technology Choice as Adaptation to Climate Change in the Western United States

Several commentators have suggested adoption of improved irrigation will be important for agricultural adaptation to climate change. This study used data from a special tabulation of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey to examine how climate and other factors influence the choice of sprinkler versus gravity-flow irrigation across 17 western states. Because studies of irrigation technology adoption often concentrate on small geographic areas with the same climate, few have estimated effects of climate on irrigation technology choice. Results suggest sprinkler irrigation is a more promising climate adaptation in areas that are relatively cooler and where extreme precipitation events increase. Sprinkler adoption is less likely in warmer climates and under drier climate change scenarios. An implication is that for hot, arid parts of the West, other climate adaptation strategies may be more important to pursue. Consistent with several previous studies, sprinkler adoption was greater among farms that were larger, had higher water costs, and relied more on groundwater. Sprinkler adoption was also greater in states with a higher erosion index that captured effects of rainfall, field slope, and soil water-holding capacity, which also have been found to be important adoption predictors in a number of previous studies.

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