
WATER EFFICIENCY USAGE IN AGRICULTURE: Evaluating the use of allocated water in food production BY KELSEY HEWITT UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER A thesis submitted to the University of ColorAdo At Boulder In pArtial fulfillment Of the requirements to receive Honors designAtion in Environmental Studies May 2013 Thesis Advisors: Paul Lander, Geography, Committee Chair Dale Miller, EnvironmentAl Studies Mark WilliAms, GeogrAphy © 2013 by Kelsey Hewitt All rights reserved II III “You don’t extinguish fire by adding more fire, you need water” Pope Shenouda III ABSTRACT Water is an important, finite resource; efficiency in use is essential. With projected reductions in the water supply due to water shortages from changes in climate and increases in demand from other public sectors, water efficiency within agriculture is becoming of increasing importance. This study evaluates the water efficiency with which water is used in agriculture, in terms of allocation: how much water is designated to agriculture and the usage of this water; and resilience: how resistant agricultural systems are under conditions of limited water. Productivity indicates the ratio of water used to yield produced, further assessing efficiency through allocation. Cropland usage, designAtion of irrigated acres, and irrigation systems are evaluated. Comparisons between 2002, a high drought year, and 2007, the control year, measure agricultural system resilience. Data is gathered from the USGS National water survey, the Census of Agriculture for 2002 and 2007, and, when necessary, supplemented with USDA survey data. Results show large inefficiencies in water use, with 76% of feed grown on irrigated acres compared to 75% of food grown on non- irrigated acres. 63% of total irrigation water is used to produce feed for livestock. Comparisons between years of normal water supply and limited water supply were not conclusive. Results are presented, with discussion of implications and suggestions for future studies. The lack of and difficulty associated with necessary data is also addressed. Possible reorganization of federal data collection methods is proposed. The goal of agriculture is assumed to be human food production. Efficiency of water use in agriculture through allocation and productivity will allow for continued food production under conditions of water stress. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is with immense gratitude that I acknowledge the support and help of my committee members, Paul Lander, Mark Williams, and Dale Miller. My sincere gratitude to John Berggren, Tom Capehart, and those other generous souls who donated their time to help me in my research. (I would also like to thank my mother for her support, my father for his crisis management, and my roommates for their everlasting tolerance of my frantic behavior) This project would have remained an idea if it had not been for all the support. THANK YOU! V TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... III Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... IV Tables ................................................................................................................................................................ VII Figures .............................................................................................................................................................. VII Equations ......................................................................................................................................................... VII Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 8 Water as a Resource: Importance ............................................................................................... 9 This Project: Scope ......................................................................................................................... 11 Efficiency .......................................................................................................................................................... 11 Project Overview: Outline ......................................................................................................................... 12 Data ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Background ............................................................................................................................. 15 The Water Cycle .............................................................................................................................. 15 Climate Change and The Water Supply ................................................................................... 16 Projected Global Water Flux .................................................................................................................... 17 Seasonal Water Flux .................................................................................................................................... 18 Water Flux in Colorado .............................................................................................................................. 18 Agriculture and Water .................................................................................................................. 21 Cultivation Conditions ................................................................................................................................ 23 Irrigation: Types and Functions ............................................................................................................. 25 Unsustainable Irrigation ............................................................................................................................ 27 Irrigation in Colorado ................................................................................................................................. 29 Colorado Agriculture ..................................................................................................................... 31 Inefficiencies in Water Allocation .......................................................................................................... 32 Irrigation Allocation .................................................................................................................................... 32 Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 38 Participants ...................................................................................................................................... 38 Materials ............................................................................................................................................ 40 Procedure .......................................................................................................................................... 44 Results ...................................................................................................................................... 47 Cropland Usage ................................................................................................................................ 48 Crop Irrigation ................................................................................................................................. 51 Irrigation Systems .......................................................................................................................... 52 Differences in 2002 and 2007 .................................................................................................... 53 Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 55 Water Use Efficiency ...................................................................................................................... 56 Irrigation System Efficiency ..................................................................................................................... 57 Agriculture System Resilience ................................................................................................... 58 VI Data Tribulations ............................................................................................................................ 60 Assumptions ................................................................................................................................................... 62 Economic Factors ............................................................................................................................ 65 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 67 Implications ...................................................................................................................................... 68 Future Studies ................................................................................................................................................ 70 References: .............................................................................................................................
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