Water Conservation Today
Key to Agriculture’s Water Tomorrow
by: Jerry Harke, director of issues management for the American Farm Bureau Federation.


The need for abundant water for food production is a given, but future availability is not a certainty. America’s farmers and ranchers have always made water use one of their conservation priorities. As demand for water continues to exceed supply in many parts of the U.S. and weather patterns, population trends and societal water-use priorities shift, water conservation among our nation’s food producers will take on even greater importance. However, farmers and ranchers continue to prove they are up to the task.
 
It takes water to produce food. Crops and livestock consume it. In fact, agriculture accounts for 80 percent of consumptive water use across the United States and more than 90 percent in many western states. While just 16 percent of the nation’s harvested cropland is irrigated, this acreage generates nearly half the value of all crops sold.
 
While irrigated cropland area has expanded more than 40 percent since 1969, the total quantity of irrigation water applied has only increased about 10 percent since then. This means reduced water use per acre resulting from the continuous development of more efficient irrigation systems, including drip or trickle irrigation where water drips slowly to the roots of plants. Also, sprinkler irrigation systems have been redesigned to apply smaller amounts of water near ground level. Both water conserving irrigation systems minimize evaporation and maximize the use of available water resources.
 
However, because food production does consume water, other water use sectors will be tempted to tap into agriculture’s well in the future. As water becomes scarce, particularly in geographic areas of traditional water abundance, conflicts may even arise between municipalities, generators of energy, wildlife advocates, agriculture and recreational waters users, all of whom have legal and social “rights” to use water.
 
The water challenge will continue in the next decades with the scientific definitions of “drought” likely to change as precipitation patterns redefine average or typical rainfall. Some areas, such as the arid Southwest, have experienced consistent drought conditions and continue to do so. The Southeast, on the other hand, is experiencing atypical and severe drought conditions.
 
Since state water laws generally govern the allocation and ownership of water resources, there may be shifts in state statutes and regulations as water availability reaches a crisis stage.  The public’s perception of agriculture’s role in water availability will have great sway in the direction of future legislative and regulatory changes at the state level.
 
Consumer attitudes and opinions already are being formed about who has top priority for water use and who abuses their water rights privileges to the detriment of others.  Today, farmers are seen in a favorable light on the water use issue, primarily because water is required to produce food. However, whenever water availability becomes an issue, negative news stories seem to bubble to the surface. Often, those stories pit one user group against another. The best way to ensure that farmers continue to be seen in a favorable light – as people who rely on water to produce food -- is for them to continue to share their positive stories of water conservation today.

5/19/08