A New Era for Irrigation

A New Era for Irrigation

  • Publisher: National Academies Press
  • ISBN: 9780309053310
  • eISBN Pdf: 9780309588300
  • eISBN Epub: 9780309175753
  • Place of publication:  United States
  • Year of digital publication: 1996
  • Month: October
  • Pages: 214
  • Language: English

Irrigated agriculture has played a critical role in the economic and social development of the United States—but it is also at the root of increasing controversy. How can irrigation best make the transition into an era of increasing water scarcity? In A New Era for Irrigation, experts draw important conclusions about whether irrigation can continue to be the nation's most significant water user, what role the federal government should play, and what the irrigation industry must do to adapt to the conditions of the future. A New Era for Irrigation provides data, examples, and insightful commentary on issues such as:

  • Growing competition for water resources.
  • Developments in technology and science.
  • The role of federal subsidies for crops and water.
  • Uncertainties related to American Indian water rights issues.
  • Concern about environmental problems.
  • And more.

The committee identifies broad forces of change and reports on how public and private institutions, scientists and technology experts, and individual irrigators have responded. The report includes detailed case studies from the Great Plains, the Pacific Northwest, California, and Florida, in both the agricultural and turfgrass sectors. The cultural transformation brought about by irrigation may be as profound as the transformation of the landscape. The committee examines major facets of this cultural perspective and explores its place in the future. A New Era for Irrigation explains how irrigation emerged in the nineteenth century, how it met the nation's goals in the twentieth century, and what role it might play in the twenty-first century. It will be important to growers, policymakers, regulators, environmentalists, water and soil scientists, water rights claimants, and interested individuals.

  • A New Era For Irrigation
  • Copyright
  • Preface
  • Contents
  • Summary
    • THE CULTURE OF IRRIGATION
    • FORCES OF CHANGE AND RESPONSES
    • EXAMPLES OF CHANGE AND RESPONSES
    • FUTURE DIRECTIONS
    • NOTE
  • 1 The Future of Irrigation
    • THE COMMITTEE'S CHARGE AND APPROACH
    • DEFINING OR DIVINING THE FUTURE?
    • THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
    • IRRIGATION: INDUSTRY OR CULTURE?
    • THE FUTURE OF IRRIGATION
    • REFERENCES
  • 2 The Cultures of Irrigation
    • WHAT ARE CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES AND WHY DO THEY MATTER?
    • CULTURAL ISSUES
      • Understanding the Culture of Irrigation
        • The Reclamation Ethic
        • Attitudes Toward Water
        • Institution Building
      • Cultural Heritage Within a Changing Cultural Context
      • Cultural Diversity
      • Cultural Conflict and Cooperation
      • Knowledge Systems in Irrigation: Past, Present, and Future
    • CONCLUSION
    • NOTES
    • REFERENCES
  • 3 Irrigation Today
    • IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE
      • Irrigated Land in Farms
    • WATER USE FOR IRRIGATION
      • Irrigated Crops
      • Water Withdrawals
      • Consumptive Use
      • Irrigation Technology
    • ECONOMICS OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE
      • Irrigation Water Prices and Costs
      • Value of Irrigation Water and Water Marketing
    • IRRIGATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
      • Instream Flows and Wetlands
      • Salinity and Drainage
      • Water Quality
      • Climate Change
    • THE TURFGRASS SECTOR
    • THE SPECIAL CASE OF INDIAN IRRIGATION
    • NOTES
    • REFERENCES
  • 4 Forces of Change and Responses
    • PROFITABILITY: A KEY INFLUENCE
      • State of the Agricultural Economy
      • Availability and Cost of Water
      • Available Technology and Management Skills
      • Costs of Other Agricultural Inputs
      • Environmental Concerns and Regulations
      • Institutions
    • UNDERSTANDING THE RELATION BETWEEN FORCES OF CHANGE AND RESPONSES TO CHANGE
    • FORCES OF CHANGE
      • Changes Related to Water
        • Withdrawals and Consumption
        • Value and Cost
        • Indian Water Rights
      • A Changing Economy
      • Changes Related to the Environment
    • RESPONSES TO CHANGE
      • The Irrigation Community
      • Scientific and Technological Responses
        • Genetic Engineering
        • Conserved Water
        • Irrigation Systems
        • Irrigation Management
        • Current and Future Trends
      • Institutional Responses
        • Federal Level
        • State, Tribal, and Local Levels
    • CONCLUSION
      • NOTES
    • REFERENCES
  • 5 The Irrigation Industry: Patterns of Change and Response
    • IRRIGATION IN THE GREAT PLAINS: TECHNOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH DWINDLING GROUND WATER
      • Characteristics of Irrigation in the Great Plains
      • Forces of Change and Responses
        • Conservation
        • Transition to Dryland Farming
        • Adjustments in Technology
        • Regulations, Incentives, and Institutions
      • Conclusion
    • IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN CALIFORNIA: UNCERTAINTY AND CONFLICT IN THE FACE OF CHANGING DEMANDS
      • Characteristics of Irrigation in California
      • Forces of Change and Responses
        • Environmental Issues
        • Water Supplies
        • Urban Expansion
        • Rising Costs
      • Conclusion
    • IRRIGATION IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS, TRIBAL TREATY RIGHTS AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE
      • Characteristics of Irrigation in the Northwest
      • Forces of Change and Responses
        • Competing Uses, Environmental Concerns, and Treaty Rights
        • Regional Institutional Processes and Responses
      • Conclusion
    • IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE IN FLORIDA: INSTITUTIONS AND INDUSTRY IN TRANSITION
      • Characteristics of Irrigation in Florida
      • Forces of Change and Responses
        • Environmental Issues
        • Water Supply Issues
      • Conclusion
    • REFERENCES
  • 6 Future Directions
    • CONCLUSION 1
      • Future Directions
    • CONCLUSION 2
      • Future Directions
    • CONCLUSION 3
      • Future Directions
    • CONCLUSION 4
      • Future Directions
    • CONCLUSION 5
      • Future Directions
    • CONCLUSION 6
      • Future Directions
    • CONCLUSION 7
      • Future Directions
    • CONCLUSION 8
      • Future Directions
    • CONCLUSION 9
      • Future Directions:
    • FINAL THOUGHTS
  • Appendix A Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
  • Appendix B Acknowledgments
  • Appendix C Glossary
  • Index

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