IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v82y2019icp528-537.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Turning water into wine: Exploring water security perceptions and adaptation behaviour amongst conventional, organic and biodynamic grape growers

Author

Listed:
  • Wheeler, Sarah Ann
  • Marning, Angelika

Abstract

Australian irrigators regularly experience drought conditions, placing water security as a critical issue facing agriculture, especially for permanent plantings such as grapes. This study explores irrigators’ water security perceptions and their water management adaptation behaviour using in-depth interviews and surveys with 37 conventional, organic and biodynamic grape growers in South Australia. Conventional growers’ water adaptation behaviour was primarily reliant on activities external to the vineyard (e.g. upgrading irrigation infrastructure); whereas alternative (i.e. certified organic/biodynamic) growers’ water security actions were based largely on internal vineyard activities (e.g. agro-ecological methods). Conventional growers often named governance and district physical capital as influencing their adaptive capacity to water scarcity, while alternative growers focussed more on the role of human, social, and farm soil and land capital in influencing their farm adaptive capacity. Two-thirds of surveyed alternative growers converted away from conventional production at the end of the Millennium Drought, naming water security issues as their main reason. Overall alternative growers perceived higher water security and less water vulnerability due to higher soil water retention. Findings suggest a need for current Murray-Darling Basin water policy to seriously reconsider the approach of primarily investing money in irrigation infrastructure to save water and to focus more on agro-ecological methods.

Suggested Citation

  • Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Marning, Angelika, 2019. "Turning water into wine: Exploring water security perceptions and adaptation behaviour amongst conventional, organic and biodynamic grape growers," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 528-537.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:82:y:2019:i:c:p:528-537
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.12.034
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837718312237
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.12.034?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mark Morrison & Eddie Oczkowski & Jenni Greig, 2011. "The primacy of human capital and social capital in influencing landholders’ participation in programmes designed to improve environmental outcomes," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 55(4), pages 560-578, October.
    2. Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Zuo, Alec & Loch, Adam, 2015. "Watering the farm: Comparing organic and conventional irrigation water use in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 78-85.
    3. Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Zuo, Alec & Bjornlund, Henning, 2014. "Investigating the delayed on-farm consequences of selling water entitlements in the Murray-Darling Basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 72-82.
    4. Margaret Alston & Kerri Whittenbury, 2013. "Does climatic crisis in Australia’s food bowl create a basis for change in agricultural gender relations?," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(1), pages 115-128, March.
    5. Wheeler, Sarah Ann, 2008. "What influences agricultural professionals' views towards organic agriculture?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 145-154, March.
    6. Kirby, Mac & Bark, Rosalind & Connor, Jeff & Qureshi, M. Ejaz & Keyworth, Scott, 2014. "Sustainable irrigation: How did irrigated agriculture in Australia's Murray–Darling Basin adapt in the Millennium Drought?," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 154-162.
    7. Ellis, Frank, 2000. "Rural Livelihoods and Diversity in Developing Countries," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198296966.
    8. R. Quentin Grafton & James Horne & Sarah Ann Wheeler, 2016. "On the Marketisation of Water: Evidence from the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(3), pages 913-926, February.
    9. Sarah Ann Wheeler & Alec Zuo & Henning Bjornlund & Makarius Victor Mdemu & Andre van Rooyen & Paiva Munguambe, 2017. "An overview of extension use in irrigated agriculture and case studies in south-eastern Africa," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(5), pages 755-769, September.
    10. Connor, Jeffery D. & Schwabe, Kurt & King, Darran & Knapp, Keith, 2012. "Irrigated agriculture and climate change: The influence of water supply variability and salinity on adaptation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 149-157.
    11. Frank Ellis, 2000. "The Determinants of Rural Livelihood Diversification in Developing Countries," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(2), pages 289-302, May.
    12. Peter Brown & Zvi Hochman & Kerry Bridle & Neil Huth, 2015. "Participatory approaches to address climate change: perceived issues affecting the ability of South East Queensland graziers to adapt to future climates," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 32(4), pages 689-703, December.
    13. Céline Nauges & Sarah Ann Wheeler & Alec Zuo, 2016. "Elicitation of irrigators' risk preferences from observed behaviour," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 60(3), pages 442-458, July.
    14. R. Quentin Grafton & Sarah Ann Wheeler, 2018. "Economics of Water Recovery in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 10(1), pages 487-510, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mannaf, Maksuda & Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Zuo, Alec, 2023. "Global and Local Spatial Spill-Overs: What Matters Most for the Diffusion of Organic Agriculture in Australia?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    2. Sahar Daghagh Yazd & Sarah Ann Wheeler & Alec Zuo, 2019. "Exploring the Drivers of Irrigator Mental Health in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-15, November.
    3. Graveline, Nina & Grémont, Marine, 2021. "The role of perceptions, goals and characteristics of wine growers on irrigation adoption in the context of climate change," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    4. Guy M. Robinson & Bingjie Song, 2023. "Managing Water for Environmental Provision and Horticultural Production in South Australia’s Riverland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-20, July.
    5. Tianyu Qin & Lan Wang & Jianshe Zhao & Gaifang Zhou & Caihong Li & Liyue Guo & Gaoming Jiang, 2022. "Effects of Straw Mulching Thickness on the Soil Health in a Temperate Organic Vineyard," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-14, October.
    6. Daghagh Yazd, Sahar & Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Zuo, Alec, 2020. "Understanding the impacts of water scarcity and socio-economic demographics on farmer mental health in the Murray-Darling Basin," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zuo, Alec & Qiu, Feng & Wheeler, Sarah Ann, 2019. "Examining volatility dynamics, spillovers and government water recovery in Murray-Darling Basin water markets," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    2. Sarah Ann Wheeler, 2022. "Debunking Murray‐Darling Basin water trade myths," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 66(4), pages 797-821, October.
    3. Simon de Bonviller & Alec Zuo & Sarah Ann Wheeler, 2019. "Is there evidence of insider trading in Australian water markets?," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 63(2), pages 307-327, April.
    4. Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Zuo, Alec & Loch, Adam, 2015. "Watering the farm: Comparing organic and conventional irrigation water use in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 78-85.
    5. Zuo, Alec & Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Xu, Ying, 2022. "Expanders, diversifiers or downsizers? Identifying clusters of irrigators’ water trade and farm management strategies in Australia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    6. Kabwe Harnadih Mubanga & Willem Ferguson, 2017. "Threats to food sufficiency among smallholder farmers in Choma, Zambia," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(4), pages 745-758, August.
    7. Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Zuo, Alec, 2017. "The impact of drought and water scarcity on irrigator farm exit intentions in the Murray– Darling Basin," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 61(3), July.
    8. Daghagh Yazd, Sahar & Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Zuo, Alec, 2020. "Understanding the impacts of water scarcity and socio-economic demographics on farmer mental health in the Murray-Darling Basin," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    9. Abebe, Fentahun & Zuo, Alec & Wheeler, Sarah Ann & Bjornlund, Henning & Chilundo, Mario & Kissoly, Luitfred & Dube, Thabani, 2022. "The influences on farmers' planned and actual farm adaptation decisions: Evidence from small-scale irrigation schemes in South-Eastern Africa," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    10. Rao, Nitya, 2017. "Assets, Agency and Legitimacy: Towards a Relational Understanding of Gender Equality Policy and Practice," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 43-54.
    11. Jan Fałkowski & Maciej Jakubowski & Paweł Strawiński, 2014. "Returns from income strategies in rural Poland," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 22(1), pages 139-178, January.
    12. Food Security and Agricultural Projects Analysis Service (ESAF), 2004. "Food insecurity and vulnerability in Viet Nam: Profiles of four vulnerable groups," ESA Working Papers 23798, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Agricultural Development Economics Division (ESA).
    13. Dolores Koenig, 2024. "Evaluating well‐being after compulsory resettlement: Livelihoods, standards of living, and well‐being in Manantali, Mali," Economic Anthropology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(2), pages 210-220, June.
    14. Hendrawan, Dienda C P & Musshoff, Oliver, 2022. "Oil Palm Smallholder Farmers' Livelihood Resilience and Decision Making in Replanting," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322441, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    15. Jon D. Unruh, 2008. "Toward sustainable livelihoods after war: Reconstituting rural land tenure systems," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 32(2), pages 103-115, May.
    16. Yen H. T. Nguyen & Tuyen Q. Tran & Dung T. Hoang & Thu M. T. Tran & Trung T. Nguyen, 2023. "Land quality, income, and poverty among rural households in the North Central Region, Vietnam," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(2), pages 150-172, June.
    17. Walelign,Solomon Zena & Wang Sonne,Soazic Elise & Seshan,Ganesh Kumar, 2022. "Livelihood Impacts of Refugees on Host Communities : Evidence from Ethiopia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10044, The World Bank.
    18. Porro, Roberto & Lopez-Feldman, Alejandro & Vela-Alvarado, Jorge W., 2015. "Forest use and agriculture in Ucayali, Peru: Livelihood strategies, poverty and wealth in an Amazon frontier," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 47-56.
    19. Jung, Suhyun & Hajjar, Reem, 2023. "The livelihood impacts of transnational aid for climate change mitigation: Evidence from Ghana," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    20. Anwar Kurniadi & IDK Widana & Christine Sri Marnani, 2023. "Mangrove Forest Development as Sustainable Vegetation Disaster Mitigation against Coastal Abrasion and Rob Floods in Supporting Regional Resilience in Bekasi Regency," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 39(1), pages 440-451, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:82:y:2019:i:c:p:528-537. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joice Jiang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/land-use-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.