Agriculture

Globally, the agricultural sector consumes about 70% of the planet’s accessible freshwater. Because water is vital for the success of agriculture, proper water management techniques are necessary to meet food and fiber material demands around the world. Resources available here pay special attention to efficient irrigation and sustainable agriculture techniques.

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Agriculture Resources

Water Conservation in Irrigated Agriculture: Trends and Challenges in the Face of Emerging Demands

Published: 
September 1, 2012
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. agriculture accounts for 80-90 percent of the Nation's consumptive water use (water lost to the environment by evaporation, crop transpiration, or incorporation into products). Despite technological innovations, at least half of U.S. irrigated cropland acreage is still irrigated with less...Read more
Regional focus: 
United States

Agricultural Water Security Listening Session -Final Report

Published: 
September 10, 2004
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural water security is described as the need to maintain adequate water supplies to meet the food and fiber needs of the expanding population maximizing the efficiency of water use by farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. This literature reports on best practices for stakeholder...Read more
Regional focus: 
United States

Conservation Practices that Save: Irrigation Water Management

Published: 
May 1, 2006
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural water supply is emerging as a critical natural resource issue. Irrigated agriculture is essential in meeting our food and fiber production needs. Irrigation water management encourages the application of water in an amount that meets the need of the growing plant in a manner that...Read more

Western Irrigated Agriculture: Production Value, Water Use, Costs, and Technology Vary by Farm Size

Published: 
September 2, 2013
U.S. Department of Agriculture
The largest irrigated farms in the region averaged about 3,300 acres, of which 1,020 were irrigated in 2008; the smallest farms averaged 244 acres, of which 47 were irrigated. Use of improved water-management practices can help producers maximize the economic efficiency of their irrigation systems...Read more

Soil, Nutrient, and Water Management Systems Used in U.S. Corn Production

Published: 
April 1, 2002
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Corn production uses over 25 percent of the Nation's cropland and more than 40 percent of the commercial fertilizer applied to crops. Thus, corn farmers' choices of soil, nutrient, and water management systems can have a major impact not only on their own profitability, but also on the...Read more
Regional focus: 
United States

The Benefits of Protecting Rural Water Quality

Published: 
January 1, 1995
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Concerns about the impact of farm production on the quality of the Nation's drinking and recreational water resources have risen over the past 10 years. Because point sources of pollution were controlled first, agricultural nonpoint sources have become the Nation's largest remaining...Read more

Estimating Water Quality Benefits: Theoretical and Methodological Issues

Published: 
September 1, 1992
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Knowledge of the benefits and costs to water users is required for a complete assessment of policies to create incentives for water quality improving changes in agricultural production. A number of benefit estimation methods are required to handle the varying nature of water quality effects. This...Read more

Improving Air and Water Quality Can Be Two Sides of the Same Coin

Published: 
September 1, 2005
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Air quality policies have traditionally focused on urban areas and industrial emissions. Extending these laws to cover agriculture would require an understanding of how farmers respond to different policy incentives. Farmers have many choices in deciding on what to produce and the production...Read more

Agricultural Adaptation to a Changing Climate: Economic and Environmental Implications Vary by U.S. Region

Published: 
July 1, 2012
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural production has always been affected by variability in weather, and U.S. farmers have adopted production practices and strategies appropriate to their local climate. Adaptive behaviors will allow producers to mitigate costs of climate change and even to capitalize on new opportunities...Read more

Agricultural Resource Management Survey - Phase III

Published: 
November 1, 2012
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Data collected in the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's primary source of information on agricultural resource use and costs, farm sector financial conditions, and farm household finances. The ARMS is the only source of information available...Read more
Regional focus: 
United States

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