Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

Summer 2023

Abstract

Farmers and ranchers across the American Southwest are battling intense droughts, leaving them with decreasing water supplies to irrigate their fields or perform the necessary activities their operations require. These shortages have placed mounting pressures on agricultural water users and water managers alike to seek techniques and innovations that will stretch water supplies further and help them survive into the future. In an area like the Middle Rio Grande (MRG) basin in central New Mexico, for many farmers agriculture is more than a way to generate income, it’s a way of life. It is closely intertwined with the history of this region and how agrarian practices connect many inhabitants to their culture and shared pasts. The future of agriculture in the Middle Rio Grande basin will be decided by the actions taken today by agricultural water users, water managers, and decision makers. Interviews were conducted with participants from these three groups of stakeholders to document emerging innovations taking place ‘on the ground’ or within organizations, as well as formal or informal collaborations amongst water users or other stakeholders. Through qualitative analysis using HyperResearch and a grounded theory approach, two main barriers to agricultural innovation in the Middle Rio Grande region emerged: capital and capacity. Capital refers to the structure and strength of the social constructs amongst agricultural users, water managers, and decision makers as well as the financial resources that individuals and participating entities have at their disposal. Capacity, closely related to capital in this context, refers to the ability of an individual to access desired information, data, knowledge sources, or potential financial resources (e.g., grants). In agricultural sectors of other regions, these (and similar) issues have prompted efforts undertaken at the individual, community, and governmental levels to address them. The use of 4 collective action built upon strong social networks at the landowner level combined with effective communication from water managers and decision makers offers a potential avenue towards alleviating capital and capacity issues in the Middle Rio Grande basin.

Keywords

field irrigation, agriculture, water management, Middle Rio Grande

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