Productivity and Efficiency
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, water efficiency is the smart use of our water resources through water-saving technologies and simple steps. Using water efficiently will help ensure reliable water supplies today and for future generations. Topics addressed in this theme provide insights, lessons, and guidance on how diverse stakeholders are working to improve water management and reduce water use.
Productivity and Efficiency Resources
Water Conservation in Irrigated Agriculture: Trends and Challenges in the Face of Emerging Demands
Published:
September 1, 2012U.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
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United StatesAgricultural Water Security Listening Session -Final Report
Published:
September 10, 2004U.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
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United StatesConservation Practices that Save: Irrigation Water Management
Published:
May 1, 2006U.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
Soil, Nutrient, and Water Management Systems Used in U.S. Corn Production
Published:
April 1, 2002U.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
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United StatesThe Benefits of Protecting Rural Water Quality
Published:
January 1, 1995U.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, 1992U.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
Agricultural Adaptation to a Changing Climate: Economic and Environmental Implications Vary by U.S. Region
Published:
July 1, 2012U.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, 2012U.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
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United StatesConservation-Compatible Practices and Programs
Published:
February 1, 2006U.S. Department of Agriculture
In recent years, the Federal Government has increased its emphasis on conservation programs that reward good stewardship on working farmland. This report examines the business, operator, and household characteristics of farms
that have adopted certain conservation-compatible practices, with and...Read more
Water Use and Pricing in Agriculture
Published:
July 1, 2006U.S. Department of Agriculture
Irrigated agriculture remains the dominant use of freshwater in the United States, although the share of water consumed by irrigation is declining. National irrigated cropland area has expanded by one-third since 1969, while irrigation water application rates have declined by about 15 percent...Read more
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