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
Current Research Information System (CRIS)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
The Current Research Information System (CRIS) provides documentation and reporting for ongoing agricultural, food science, human nutrition, and forestry research, education and extension activities for the United States Department of Agriculture; with a focus on the National Institute of Food and...Read more
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United StatesAdditionality in Agricultural Conservation Programs
Published:
September 8, 2014U.S. Department of Agriculture
Additionality measures the extent to which conservation program payments actually encourage adoption of practices that farmers would not otherwise adopt. Considering additionality in conservation program design could help make programs more cost effective, but only if additionality is considered...Read more
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
Western Irrigated Agriculture: Production Value, Water Use, Costs, and Technology Vary by Farm Size
Published:
September 2, 2013U.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, 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
Improving Air and Water Quality Can Be Two Sides of the Same Coin
Published:
September 1, 2005U.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
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