Project Number: 5347-13000-015-03
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Aug 09, 2006
End Date: Jan 21, 2009

Objective:
The State of Arizona recently adopted, on an interim basis, a voluntary agricultural water conservation program based on Best Management Practices (the BMP Program), as an alternative to their current regulatory approach. The USWCL has entered into an agreement with the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the agency responsible for administering the BMP program, to evaluate the effectiveness that program. The USWCL has invited the University of Arizona to participate in this research effort. Of interest is to examine the short-term response of farm operators to Arizona's BMP Program, its implications to regional groundwater management, and its implications to future water conservation policy in Arizona.

Approach:
Past research has shown that a variety of factors influence farmers decision to participate in voluntary soil and water conservation programs, and that adoption and effectiveness of conservation practices depends on farmers physical, economic, and institutional settings. Of interest then is first to characterize the motivations of farmers enrolled in the BMP program, and to characterize the physical, economic and institutional environment of those participants, and try to correlate those environmental variables with the farmers water management practices. Data on BMP participant farms and their motives for enrolling will be obtained through farmer interviews, to be conducted during 2006. Documents SCA with U. of AZ. Formerly 5347-13000-013-08S (12/06). Formerly 5347-13000-014-03S (2/07).