Adoption of Water Conservation Measures Among Florida Growers

Florida is the second leading U.S. state in area and dollar value of vegetable crop cultivation with 201,000 acres planted in 2012 and a crop value greater than $1.1 billion (USDA NASS, 2013).  However, this high valued production is threatened by drought and increasing demands for water for non-agricultural uses.  As a result, water conservation and supply augmentation will be increasingly important for growers as climate change increases the severity of droughts and population growth increases overall demand for water. Given both supply and demand side threats to future water availability, the adoption of drought adaptation and water conservation measures will be of increasing importance in Florida agriculture. We address two main components of this problem using a 2013 survey of Florida growers. First, we assess the current rates of adoption of drought adaptation measures, including more efficient irrigation technology, water supply augmentation measures, and investments to reduce nonproductive water losses. Second, we analyze what factors influence the adoption of these measures. Regarding the adoption of drought adaptation measures, supply augmentation is the least utilized category.  Given the current political environment, this category may become increasingly important as water supply becomes more variable and demands for water increase. In terms of irrigation efficiency, many growers have already adopted micro-irrigation.  Nonetheless, increased adoption of micro-irrigation could be beneficial in certain regions for certain crops. A number of factors had significant effects on the likelihood of the adoption of these measures.  We find that growers with higher crop diversity and crop insurance and growers who view water supply as unpredictable are more likely to adopt more efficient irrigation and to reduce non-productive losses.  This suggests that risk aversion may influence some growers’ decisions.  Soil and crop types are also important predictors, and may indicate the need for specialized technology to meet the needs of different crops and soil types. Older growers are less likely to adopt more advanced technology like soil moisture sensors, while women and more educated growers are more likely to reduce non-productive water losses.