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Reimagining Future Water Security

Explore the impact of water loss on Western irrigation and climate responsiveness. Discover the implications of agricultural transformations, input costs, and environmental concerns on sustainable farming practices. Delve into the challenges and opportunities for maintaining water quality and soil fertility.

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Reimagining Future Water Security

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  1. National Security is Dirt (and water, and climate responsiveness): Rethinking the Loss of Western Irrigation Water John Wiener Research Program on Environment and Society Institute of Behavioral Science University of Colorado, Boulder John.Wiener@Colorado.Edu Relevant materials are posted at: www.colorado.edu/ibs/eb/wiener/ Citations and notes are in “speaker’s notes” Presentation to ISAC/ISSS Annual Conference October 24, 2008, Vail, CO

  2. WGOS for knowing the source! Please NOTE: this presentation will not describe the range of adverse impacts from transfer of irrigation water from agriculture, nor the costs involved in alternatives. Please see other posted presentations for that. I will try to keep you awake, at the end of a long and intense day!

  3. Losses of Capacity • Loss of topsoil • Loss of fertility of soil • Loss of affordable fertilizers/biocides • Loss of farmland (conversion to other use) • Loss of irrigation water • Loss of local agricultural knowledge • Loss of farming families • Loss of rural economic viability • THIS IS REALLY THE CONCLUSION!

  4. THESE CHANGES ARE ALL POSITIVE! How can there be a problem?

  5. High growth where agriculture is not overwhelmed by urbanization and rural growth (Wyoming is badly hit by competition in beef, sheep, and even loss of irrigation)

  6. Again, “inputs” here is a combination of all factors of production – NOTE FL and GA are among Eastern states with big irrigation increases and increasing “induced drought” on top of hyhdrological drought

  7. Careful! “Inputs” here is a combination of all factors of production!

  8. How can there be a problem? Looks great!

  9. But wait! There’s more! Seeds up 27% between 2007 to 2008; Fuel and oils up 62% July 2007-July 2008… diesel up 272% since 2002… Oligopoly in input sales is as bad for farmers as it is in food processing and grocery retailing for consumers. Input prices are up 53% since 2002.

  10. Enough teasing…. Here’s my point! Note for the posted version: This point is in fact an illustration to make a point about inputs and vulnerability – the whole story on nitrogen is quite complex!

  11. This is starting to head up again… Note: data for 1960-1976 were2 points/year ; 1976-2006, 4 points/year

  12. 12,044 2,738 We’re using an awful lot of this stuff (as water quality people know…)

  13. Collins, USDA Chief Economist, “Prospects for the Farm Economy”, 01 Mar 07

  14. Money Talks…Crop Switching for ethanol(before the food price spikes in late ’07 and ‘08) LAND PRICES ARE WAY UP AND SO ARE PRICES FOR FERTI- LIZERS AND FUEL ETC ETC… THE AG PICTURE CAN CHANGE VERY QUICKLY!

  15. Today the U.S. imports over half of the nitrogen and 80 percent of the potash fertilizer used on its farms. The U.S. went from being the world’s largest exporter of nitrogen fertilizer in the 1980s to becoming the largest importer in the 1990s. Domestic production of nitrogen fertilizer declined during the 1990s as the price of domestic natural gas (the primary source of nitrogen) increased because of demand for natural gas in the U.S. expanding faster than production. USDA 2004

  16. A map created in 2008 shows 415 eutrophic (overly nutrient-rich) and hypoxic coastal systems worldwide—169 documented hypoxic areas (red), 233 areas of concern (yellow), and 13 systems in recovery (green). A new study has found that the tropical ocean's dead zones are growing in size and intensity as sea temperatures rise, posing risks to many marine organisms and fisheries.Image courtesy World Resources Institute – Downloaded from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/bigphotos/14793409.html

  17. http://farmweek.ilfb.org/viewdocument.asp?did=11751&drvid=105&r=4.863918E-03http://farmweek.ilfb.org/viewdocument.asp?did=11751&drvid=105&r=4.863918E-03 Note: New National Research Council Report, December 2008 – see speaker’s notes

  18. Pimentel, 2006: Environment, Development and Sustainability 8: 119-137 • “The loss of soil from land surfaces by erosion is widespread globally and adversely affects the productivity of all natural ecosystems as well as agricultural, forest, and rangeland ecosystems… Concurrent with the escalating human population, soil erosion, water availability, energy and loss of biodiversity rank as the prime environmental problems throughout the world.” • Cassman 1999: 3 crop species provide about 2/3 of human dietary energy now.

  19. USDA ARS Program Report 2000: (Why Study Soil Erosion) Erosion.  Soil erosion is still a major threat to sustained productivity of agricultural soils.  About 1.5 to 2.0 billion tons of soil in the United States are lost annually by soil erosion.  Soil erosion occurs about 17 times faster than soil formation, and about 90 percent of all U.S. cropland is losing soil above the sustainable rate. 

  20. Not-fun facts • 2003 Soil and Water Conservation Society report on potential erosion effects of increased intensity of precipitation – warned that we could undo all the progress since erosion control began as government policy…[Already seen!] • Policy impact? Any impact? • USDA claims: 30.6 Billion tons/year in 1982, down to 1.75 Billion tons/year in 2003 (Conservation and Environment 2007 Farm Bill Theme Paper, Jun 2006) • Not exactly good news… Lose that progress?

  21. Still more not-fun facts (Pimentel 2006, etc) • 90% of US cropland is losing soil faster than it can be restored; 75% of range needs help • ~ 1/3 of US topsoil was lost 30 years ago (Pimentel 1980) • HALF of Iowa’s topsoil is gone – and still losing average 30 t/ha/yr (soil formation rate 0.5 to 1 t/ha/yr) • 40% of Palouse topsoils were gone, 1995 • Costs to US, 2001: ~$37.6B/yr (but not with good ecosystems valuation or replacement of services costing) • $20B/yr for fertilizer replacement for lost nutrients (eroded soils take NPK away, as well as biological active fractions and potential) • And then there’s the incredible costs of pesticides, with 1000-fold increase in organophosphates (Pimentel 2005) • [little info on long-term herbicide effects on soil]

  22. Last not-fun facts… • On average, 1.5 kg of soil is lost in the production of 1 kg of corn in the U.S. cornbelt • Looks good compared to the Palouse: average there 20 kg lost per 1 kg wheat • Gardiner and Miller (Soils in Our Environment, 10th Ed., 2004: 409) • Their average erosion figures for US: • 1982: 7.3 tons/acre 1987: 6.9 tons/acre • 1992: 5.5 tons/acre 1997: 5.0 tons/acre (2004: 407) Plenty of complexity and controversy, but you get the idea….

  23. TABLE 10.7 Energy Inputs in U.S. Corn Production Quantity/ha kcal/ha Inputs Labor 11.4 h 4,650 Machinery 55 kg 1,018,000 Diesel 88 L 1,003,000 Gasoline 40 L 405,000 Nitrogen 153 kg 2,448,000 Phosphorus 65 kg 270,000 Potassium 77 kg 251,000 Limestone 1120 kg 315,000 Seeds 21 kg 520,000 Irrigation 8.1 cm 320,000 Insecticides 2.8 kg 280,000 Herbicides 6.2 kg 620,000 Electricity 13.2 kWh 34,000 Transportation 204 kg 169,000 Total 8,115,000 Outputs Corn yield 8655 kg 31,158,000 kcal output/kcal input 3.84:1 Source: Pimentel, D. and Patzek, T., Natural Resources Research, 14(1), 65–76, 2005.

  24. TABLE 10.9 Energy Inputs in U.S. Wheat Production in the United States Quantity/ha kcal/ha Inputs Labor 7.8 h 316,000 Machinery 50 kg 800,000 Diesel 49.5 L 565,000 Gasoline 34.8 L 352,000 Nitrogen 68.4 kg 1,272,000 Phosphorus 33.7 kg 140,000 Potassium 2.1 kg 7,000 Seeds 60 kg 218,000 Insecticides 0.05 kg 5,000 Herbicides 4 kg 400,000 Fungicides 0.004 kg 400 Electricity 14.3 kWh 41,000 Transportation 197.9 kg 123,000 Total 4,239,000 Outputs Wheat yield 2,670 kg 9,035,000 kcal output/kcal input 2.13:1 Source: Pimentel, D., http://www.organic-center.org/science.pest.php?action=view& report_id=59, August 2006.

  25. Prime Farmland in Colorado Only 2.5% of Colorado’s land is prime (all of it irrigated)... …but the precise location of this land is unknown. There is evidence that people prefer good land and biologically valuable land to dull and dry spots, for development (except some view-points) Colorado Dept of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service(USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service(USDA)

  26. Magnitude of Ag Land Conversion (1987-97) 2.5% of Colorado’s land has been converted from ag to other uses over a 10-year period (1.4 million acres) But, rate of conversion is widely believed to be much faster now! Colorado Dept of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service(USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service(USDA)

  27. Conversion of Best Farm Land – Near Loveland, in Weld County, CO I-25 BoydLake One square mile NOT A SHORTGRASS STEPPE NOW! Slide by Tom Dickinson, IBS and Geography, Source: National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP),USDA-FSA Aerial Photography Field Office

  28. March 2006 http://www.environmentcolorado.org/envco.asp?id2=23275

  29. (Center of the American West, on the internet with two other cases) Colorado Front Range

  30. Housing Density Change In Colorado 2000 - 2020 Housing Density Change 1960 - 2050 (C.U. Center for American West, Tom Dickinson) 2020 PEOPLE MOVING INTO THE RIPARIAN CORRIDORS 2000 David M. Theobald. “Targeting Conservation Action through Assessment of Protection and Exurban Threat.” Conservation Biology, 17(6):1624-1637. Dec. 2003

  31. 2003 – NOT CONSIDERING CLIMATE DESTABILI- ZATION – WHAT GROWTH WILL DO… (OPTIMISTIC!) “…water supplies are or will be inadequate to meet water demands, even under normal water supply conditions.”– U.S. Dept. of Interior Water 2025

  32. IRRIGATION DENSITY – THERE IS A LOT OF IT! this is just to show extent STILL MORE THAN 80% OF THE CONSUMPTIVE USE OF WATER IN THE WEST 1997 Data – Map from Gollehon and Quinby, 2000 Water Resources Development 16(2)

  33. South Platte North Platte Yampa/White/Green 10,300 AF Gap 107,800 AF Colorado 107,600 AF Identified Projects 404,300 AF Gunnison Dolores/ San Juan/ San Miguel Rio Grande Arkansas 2030 M&I Water Demands and Gaps (Colorado Statewide Water Supply Initiative slide -- except for comments) Beware! Self- reported “identified projects”! – --- If the big ones fail, the “gap” soars… THIS “GAP” estimate may be way too cheerful! – Climate destabilization ignored here too…

  34. 12 to 23% of what’s left – or more ? ! BIG questions about this: water to acres varies, and the basis of the demand estimate is uncertain… And, no climate effects! SWSI slide

  35. Major Predictions – Climate Change Effects on Western Water • Temperatures up – winter, nights • Longer between freeze dates • Higher Evapotranspiration • Snow sublimation increases • Timing of snow melt earlier • Volume of available supply changes • Biological and vegetation changes – • predation, pollination, migration • succession, competition, invasive species

  36. Climate Change Vs Western Irrigation • USGCRP Sectoral Assessments (Water, Ag.): • Small changes with big water consequences? (2000) • Nationally, moderate effects on ag., no “crisis” (2001) • USGCRP: Central Great Plains (Ojima et al 2002) • With less water, irrigation hurt • With more water, irrigation loses to dryland • USGCRP: Great Basin/Rocky Mtns. (Wagner et al. 2003) • Ag declines in all scenarios • Recent Integrated Assessments (2004, 2005): • Current management in trouble • Ag. Loses water, all scenarios, even “best case” (references, interpretive memo available) -- changes in comparative advantage of irrigation versus dryland • IPCC Fourth Assessment, 2007 – various reports on website • US Climate Change Science Program, 2008 –Recommended: CCSP SAP 5.3 on climate information and water management; see list on <www.climatescience.gov>

  37. Fig. 1-2: The number of farms (left axis) in the Great Plains has been decreasing over the last 70 years, however, the area in farms (right axis) has remained relatively steady during the same period. (Source: University of Texas Population Research Center 1998) Important complication: number of “farms” changes with definition of “farm” – see Annual Report on the Family Farm series from USDA Economic Research Service

  38. What is now happening to the farm-dependent areas? SOME ethanol relief, but Long-term questions – feed prices… messy… Where the land is NOT CONVERTED to urban use… Population Growth is NOT evenly distributed

  39. WEALTH and CAPACITY are not evenly distributed, either… d Source: USDA ERS (downloaded 17 May 08) http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/PovertyRates/PovListpct.asp?ST=CO&view=Percent

  40. Newcomers and Exurban Development • The “ranchette” phenomenon -- currently 4 times the area occupied by all the cities and towns in Colorado -- but forecast to double in 30-40 years (Theobald et al.) … >35 acres unregulated… • Not new data… • Good neighbors? County and school services cost average of $1.65 for each $1 tax revenue • Coupal and Seidl, 2003 – CSU Dept Ag and Res Econ • Biologically, impacts may be disproportionate to area occupied -- (no planning allowed!) • Just hoping for easements to prevent problems? • THEY ARE NOT FARMING! (except for tax rate)

  41. USDA to the Rescue? • USDA Agricultural Projections to 2017 • http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/Baseline/present2008.htm • Projections themselves can be downloaded as Microsoft Word ™ file from the briefing room website • Issued end of February 2008…

  42. “climate” occurs twice, neither use related to climate change; “climatic” occurs once, in “agroclimatic”; “environmental” occurs twice in “environmental concerns” and twice in “environmental regulations”; “warming” does not occur.

  43. Other USDA on Climate Change? • Agricultural Water Security Listening Session, Final Report, 2006 (2004 meeting) • http://www.csrees.usda.gov/water • Global Climate Change Briefing Room • http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/GlobalClimate/ • Schaible, G.D., Ed., 2004, Agricultural Risks in a Water-Short World: Producer Adaptation and Policy Directions. A Workshop Summary. USDA ERS, 2004. <www.farmfoundation.org/documents/Z4C1-WaterWorkshopSummary-Final-V1c_11-8-04.pdf> – Puzzling… • Darwin, R., 2001, Issues in Food Security: Climate Change and Food Security, USDA ERS Agriculture Information Bulletin Number 765-8 • Schimmelpfennig, D., J. Lewandrowski, J. Reilly, M. Tsigas, and M. Parry, 1996, Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change: Issues of Longrun Sustainability. USDA ERS, AER-740. • WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? THESE FOLKS ARE GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO! • Latest: Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.3 <www.climatescience.gov>…controversial

  44. Losses of Capacity • Loss of topsoil • Loss of fertility of soil • Loss of affordable fertilizers/biocides • Loss of farmland (conversion to other use) • Loss of irrigation water • Loss of local agricultural knowledge • Loss of farming families • Loss of rural economic viability • Does this feel secure?

  45. Versus… the closest we will ever get to a free lunch • Good topsoil grows food with a minimum of amendments, inputs, and manipulation; good seeds in good soil and good climate, with a self-managing food chain: As good as things can get • Topsoil takes a very very long time to form: • E.g., for really good stuff in a geologically and climatically good place, very quick development: might be 1 inch per century, usually rather less • It can be wasted very very quickly… • High intensity precipitation and bad management can be amazing; high-tillage crops like continuous corn can be terrible… but • damage concealed by substitution of inputs and economic supports

  46. Greenspan Just Upstaged Me! • He too, apparently, has decided that maybe, just maybe, the market won’t fix everything all by itself… • (I was going to make a brilliant point about the Nineteenth Century, now apparently only known concerning the United States for the Civil War…)

  47. A few points on economics • Efficiency is definable on a distribution of resources; it is an adjective, not a noun. • Econ 101: Edgeworth-Bowley Box…(econ trivia…) “It’s all relative…” • Econ 102: Clark, 1973: Economics of Extinction – Perfectly rational to kill ‘em all, cut ‘em all playing by these rules… • Econ 201: Positive discount rate: reduce the future from far ahead to present value: it is trivial; • Just doesn’t work for century or two out • Not much good even decades ahead if all else is seriously uncertain…Energy, Ag inputs, Markets • Econ 301: Evaluation is definable within a general equilibrium, but not transferable to a different equilibrium with reallocated resources and price structures… Norgaard & Howarth 1992: “BCA is NG for the LT” We can’t just “do the math”!

  48. What to DO?? Two Constants and the Quickie Social Welfare Function • Constant 1: Urban ability and will to pay -- for water AND ALSO for amenity, environment, open space, ag. preservation…. $24 billion locally voted in 5 years (US); $3.8B in Colorado so far, passing 110 of 148 measures (TPL) • Constant 2: Soil formation is slow at best; climate is faster! • What Would YOU do if you owned all the pieces? What could you do to maximize the outcomes? • Answer tells what you want to maximize (pie flavors) • Answer tell how much you might get (pie size) • Problem: you don’t own it all. So, how to organize so as to get the biggest and best possible pie, for owners and others affected? • We use markets,mostly… Can they work better?

  49. Markets in Colorado Are Not Working Well • Little information who owns what, or prices paid. Compare houses or cars or almost anything else... • Lack and/or cost of information probably favors the few buyers over the many sellers and Asymmetry probably favors brokers even more! • Historic limitations on “beneficial” uses of water… • Biggest change: In-stream Flow Rights – recent innovation, unfinished project, many quite junior • Exclusion of those affected by “third party impacts” or externalities – no standing to object to a sale -- Public interests not well identified or represented yet • Un-represented seek “entry” by political or regulatory means • Limits on kinds of contracts and arrangements – • short-term moves very limited • no long-term lease deals yet • “interruptible supply” very limited in Colorado

  50. Under-Invested Interests - Environmental • Cumulative Impacts Under-Represented in Water Markets • Minimum stream flows - Begun… but underfunded? Low reliability water rights? Missing reaches? Wetlands? Habitat? • Water Quality - how to integrate?… high stakes in NPDES permits etc. Threats of TMDLS with unpredictable effects? • Threatened or Endangered Species. Little foresight or information, fear/anger at abrupt, uneven inequitable imposition of limits • Not Represented, not often financially supported • “Isolated” Wetlands, created wetlands with value to others -- who might pay to support them • Ecological sufficiency for resilience to stresses, restoration, adaptation to change • The long term and the maintenance of options for the future • farm productivity, including farmer viability and capacity • farm land management! These are “hybrid ecologies” -- like forests now, no “walk away” looks good...

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