Agricultural Water Use Efficiency

California agriculture has made great strides in improving water use efficiency while increasing output. Since 1970, many water providers have modernized their water delivery systems, and farmers have moved to higher value crops and are utilizing technologies to save water and increase crop yields; this has significantly increased the overall economic value of the state’s agricultural production.

Agricultural and urban water users will continue to improve water conservation strategies moving forward. A survey of growers found that the irrigated acreage using drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers increased 16% between 2001 and 2011, while the acreage of land irrigated using surface irrigation methods decreased by 13%.

In some areas of the state, growers are being encouraged to retain flood irrigation infrastructure to enable on-farm recharge on fields during years with above average precipitation.

RESOURCES

Agricultural Water Use Efficiency Program: DWR webpage with information on agricultural water management plans, farm gate reporting, and agricultural water measurement.

California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS): DWR webpage with real-time weather data to assist irrigators in water management.

UC Cooperative Extension: The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) webpage with many agriculture, natural resource and human resource programs to support California agriculture.

California Institute for Water Resources: Drought and water management information: UC Cooperative extension webpage offering videos and drought tips for irrigation management.

Agricultural Water Use Efficiency (Water Management Toolbox, Maven’s Notebook)

Farmers and SGMA

The California Farm Bureau Federation has outreach materials to help farmers and landowners understand why SGMA is important and to be involved.

DWR’s Ag Water Use Efficiency Program has information on agricultural water management plans, farm gate reporting, and agricultural water measurement. Learn more about the Agricultural Water Use Efficiency Program

CDFA’s State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) offers grants for irrigation efficiency projects. Learn more about SWEEP.

On-farm recharge methods show great promise for replenishing depleted groundwater basins. Learn more about groundwater recharge.

Crops like rice, corn, and alfalfa provide over a million and a half acres of potential habitat when managed for multiple-benefits. Waterbird use of flooded habitats depends primarily on the depth and timing of flooding, and the extent and height of vegetation. Guide to On-farm Recharge and Waterbird Habitat (The Nature Conservancy)

Agricultural water use efficiency articles at Maven's Notebook

Notebook agricultural water use efficiency posts

COMMENTARY: Where does water wind up? You might be surprisedCommentary by Mike Wade, Executive Director of the California Farm Water Coalition Water, the essence of life, is an indispensable resource intricately woven into the fabric of our daily existence. From the food on our plates to the gadgets in our hands, water silently plays a pivotal role in the creation of almost everything we encounter. In a world where water scarcity is a looming concern, it is essential to explore the profound impact of water in the production of […]

AG ALERT: Soil sensors, drip reduce water use in desert lettuceBy Vicky Boyd, Ag Alert Desert lettuce growers may be able to save more than 10 inches of water by converting to shallow buried drip irrigation and following recommendations from the online CropManage tool. Two years into a three-year study, University of California Cooperative Extension Irrigation and Water Management Advisor Ali Montazar said the two technologies paired together show promise to significantly reduce water and nitrogen use. The actual savings depend on a number of factors, including lettuce variety, soil […]

AG ALERT: Farmers join study on curbing water useBy Christine Souza, Ag Alert After several multiyear droughts, those connected to water in California are looking at strategies to conserve irrigation supplies and produce crops using less water. To gain insight, farmers have partnered with the University of California and the Delta Conservancy to study different aspects of water conservation, including the amount of water released from plants, soil and other surfaces to the atmosphere, known as evapotranspiration or ET. Among those working with the research effort is Lou […]

NASA: OpenET Launches a New APIFrom NASA: On Tuesday, October 3, NASA Ames’ OpenET program launched an application programming interface (API) for its widely-used Data Explorer tool. OpenET is a program providing satellite-based information on evapotranspiration (ET) and agricultural water use, currently deployed across the 23 westernmost continental states. Data is provided at a scale of individual fields, or a quarter acre per pixel, and available at daily, monthly, and annual time scales. The current Data Explorer is freely available online, with the intent that […]

AG ALERT COMMENTARY: Why alfalfa is ideal for California and the SouthwestCommentary by Ayman Mostafa, Ph.D., a field crops and entomology specialist and director of the Urban Agriculture Production, Small-Scale and Beginning Farmer Program at the University of Arizona The Southwest continues to endure a megadrought, signifying drought conditions lasting at least two decades. Historic water-supply challenges, particularly from the depleted Colorado River, have focused attention on a key agricultural commodity: alfalfa. The crop is second to almonds in terms of acreage and water use in California. The share of water […]

UC DAVIS: Growing Crops with Less GroundwaterUC Davis Provides Farmers with New Technologies and Tools in Response to Climate Change By Amy Quinton, UC Davis On a warm February afternoon, Kirk Pumphrey walks down his rows of almond trees at Westwind Farms in Yolo County. He notices the buds on the branches have already sprouted pink. It worries him. The earlier the trees bloom, the more likely winter frost will damage the nuts. Early blooms are occurring more often as higher temperatures from climate change stimulate […]

AG ALERT: Farmers brace for water cuts to help riverAs the Colorado River water crisis deepens amid withering drought in the West, Imperial Valley growers with historic rights to water from the river are making calculations on whether to farm or fallow. By Peter Hecht, Ag Alert As the Colorado River water crisis deepens amid withering drought in the West, Imperial Valley growers with historic rights to water from the river are making calculations on whether to farm or fallow. This month, the Imperial Irrigation District, which supplies Colorado […]

CA IRRIGATION INSTITUTE CONFERENCE: Urban and Agricultural Water Use in California, 1960 – 2015Water managers forecast future water demand for a variety of purposes, including planning future water purchases or building new infrastructure. There are several methods for estimating future water demand; the simplest and most traditional means is to estimate current per-capita water consumption and multiply this by expected future population. In California, urban per capita water demand has declined dramatically over the past several decades, driven in part by greater uptake of water-efficient devices. These reductions have important implications for estimating […]

Agricultural water use efficiencyAs the state’s largest water using sector, many look to agriculture as a way to free up water supplies for environmental and other uses. However, estimates of how much water could be saved vary widely, and oftentimes don’t result in ‘new’ water California is unarguably the nation’s leading agricultural producer with the state’s 76,400 farms and ranches producing more than 400 agricultural commodities and providing nearly half of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in the US. In a typical […]

GUEST COMMENTARY: Almond growers are committed to finding water solutions that work for people, farms, and fishThis guest commentary is written by Don Cameron of Terranova Ranch: Back in late February and early March, California almond growers experienced what many are calling the perfect bloom. Perfect weather resulted in the abundant crop filling almond trees, uniquely suited to the state’s Mediterranean climate, up and down the Central Valley. This year’s record crop – estimated to hit 3 billion pounds – is proof that California is the best place in the world to grow almonds. Almonds account […]

Explore agriculture water use and efficiency at the California Water Library

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