IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jenvss/v6y2016i1d10.1007_s13412-016-0369-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Irrigation aquifer depletion: the nexus linchpin

Author

Listed:
  • Richard M. Cruse

    (Iowa State University)

  • Daniel L. Devlin

    (Kansas State University)

  • Doug Parker

    (California Institute for Water Resources)

  • Reagan M. Waskom

    (Colorado State University)

Abstract

Demand for agriculturally produced food and feed is virtually certain to rise as populations increase and economies of developing countries improve. Irrigation is currently supplying water for a disproportionately large amount of agriculturally sourced food and feed production needed to meet this growing demand. Irrigation supports 40 % of global food production, while it occupies only about 18 % of the agricultural landscape. Irrigation is groundwater sourced in critical food production regions of the world, and a variety of these aquifers are being drained; their rates of water recharge are well below extraction rates. Life expectancy of multiple irrigation aquifers, including selected aquifers in the USA, is decades or less if much improved water irrigation management practices are not implemented. Case examples from Kansas, Colorado, and California, home of arguably the most technologically advanced, economically stable, and well educated agricultural industry in the world, are used to address the question: “Are existing irrigation management approaches preferentially focused on sustaining existing economies or sustaining the longevity of the irrigation aquifers?” In general, irrigation aquifer water stress and need to conserve water is recognized by a vast majority of stakeholders. The need for stakeholders to maintain short-term financial integrity, which requires continued use of irrigation water, is creating stress in local water management policy development and delaying meaningful action. Pockets of forward thinking plans and even action are evolving, but these pockets must grow, and grow rapidly, to avert major negative social and financial consequences.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard M. Cruse & Daniel L. Devlin & Doug Parker & Reagan M. Waskom, 2016. "Irrigation aquifer depletion: the nexus linchpin," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 6(1), pages 149-160, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:6:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s13412-016-0369-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s13412-016-0369-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s13412-016-0369-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s13412-016-0369-6?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. J. S. Famiglietti, 2014. "The global groundwater crisis," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(11), pages 945-948, November.
    2. Molden, David, 2007. "Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture: summary. In Russian," IWMI Books, Reports H041260, International Water Management Institute.
    3. Molden, David, 2007. "Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture," IWMI Books, Reports H040193, International Water Management Institute.
    4. Molden, David, 2007. "Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture: summary. In Arabic," IWMI Books, Reports H041261, International Water Management Institute.
    5. Molden, David, 2007. "Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture: summary," IWMI Books, Reports H039769, International Water Management Institute.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Batidzirai, B. & Smeets, E.M.W. & Faaij, A.P.C., 2012. "Harmonising bioenergy resource potentials—Methodological lessons from review of state of the art bioenergy potential assessments," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(9), pages 6598-6630.
    2. Feng Huang & Baoguo Li, 2020. "What is the Redline Water Withdrawal for Crop Production in China?—Projection to 2030 Derived from the Past Twenty-Year Trajectory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-14, May.
    3. repec:kqi:journl:2017-2-1-2 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Rosa Francaviglia & Claudia Di Bene, 2019. "Deficit Drip Irrigation in Processing Tomato Production in the Mediterranean Basin. A Data Analysis for Italy," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-14, April.
    5. Malin Falkenmark, 2013. "Adapting to climate change: towards societal water security in dry-climate countries," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(2), pages 123-136, June.
    6. Kherbache, Nabil & Oukaci, Kamal, 2020. "Assessment of capital expenditure in achieving sanitation-related MDG targets and the uncertainties of the SDG targets in Algeria," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    7. Tarjuelo, José M. & Rodriguez-Diaz, Juan A. & Abadía, Ricardo & Camacho, Emilio & Rocamora, Carmen & Moreno, Miguel A., 2015. "Efficient water and energy use in irrigation modernization: Lessons from Spanish case studies," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 67-77.
    8. Gebreegziabher, Z. & Mekonnen, A. & Beyene, A.D. & Hagos, F., 2018. "Valuation of access to irrigation water in rural Ethiopia: application of choice experiment and contingent valuation methods," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277168, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Unknown, 2012. "Water for wealth and food security: supporting farmer-driven investments in agricultural water management. Synthesis report of the AgWater Solutions Project," IWMI Reports 158834, International Water Management Institute.
    10. Mapedza, Everisto & Haileslassie, A. & Hagos, Fitsum & McCartney, Matthew & Awulachew, Seleshi Bekele & Tafesse, T., 2009. "Transboundary water governance institutional architecture: reflections from Ethiopia and Sudan," IWMI Conference Proceedings 212439, International Water Management Institute.
    11. Hasan, M.M. & Rahman, M.M., 2017. "Performance and emission characteristics of biodiesel–diesel blend and environmental and economic impacts of biodiesel production: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 938-948.
    12. Ibrahim M. A. Soliman, 2019. "Forecasting Model of Wheat Yield in Relation to Rainfall Variability in North Africa Countries," International Journal of Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Business Models (IJFBMBM), IGI Global, vol. 4(2), pages 1-17, July.
    13. van Koppen, Barbara & Smits, Stef & Moriarty, Patrick & Penning de Vries, Frits W.T. & Mikhail, Monique & Boelee, Eline, 2009. "Climbing the water ladder: multiple-use water services for poverty reduction," IWMI Books, International Water Management Institute, number 137955, January.
    14. Janka Vanschoenwinkel & Steven Passel, 2018. "Climate response of rainfed versus irrigated farms: the bias of farm heterogeneity in irrigation," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 225-234, March.
    15. Upali A. Amarasinghe & Vladimir Smakhtin, 2014. "Water productivity and water footprint: misguided concepts or useful tools in water management and policy?," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(7), pages 1000-1017, November.
    16. Sun, Haoyang & Wang, Sufen & Hao, Xinmei, 2017. "An Improved Analytic Hierarchy Process Method for the evaluation of agricultural water management in irrigation districts of north China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 324-337.
    17. Amarasinghe, Upali A. & Smakhtin, Vladimir, 2014. "Global water demand projections: past, present and future," IWMI Reports 201006, International Water Management Institute.
    18. Zhang, Long & Bai, Wuliyasu, 2021. "Sustainability of crop–based biodiesel for transportation in China: Barrier analysis and life cycle ecological footprint calculations," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    19. Maria Christoforidou & Gerlo Borghuis & Chris Seijger & Gerardo E. Halsema & Petra Hellegers, 2023. "Food security under water scarcity: a comparative analysis of Egypt and Jordan," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(1), pages 171-185, February.
    20. Getnet, Kindie & Pfeifer, Catherine & MacAlister, Charlotte, 2014. "Economic incentives and natural resource management among small-scale farmers: Addressing the missing link," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 1-7.
    21. Madan Jha & Y. Kamii & K. Chikamori, 2009. "Cost-effective Approaches for Sustainable Groundwater Management in Alluvial Aquifer Systems," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 23(2), pages 219-233, 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:spr:jenvss:v:6:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s13412-016-0369-6. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.