Title Water and agriculture in the western U.S. : conservation, reallocation, and markets / edited by Gary D. Weatherford in association with Lee Brown, Helen Ingram, and Dean Mann

Published LONDON : ROUTLEDGE, 2020

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Description 1 online resource Summary One of the major questions facing the western U.S. is whether irrigation water can be conserved and reallocated to help meet increasing nonagricultural water demands. This book, based on interdisciplinary research in several states, identifies and analyzes the legal, political, economic, and social issues involved in a "conserve-and transfer" strategy. After providing an overview and policy framework for considering the role of conservation in water management, the authors use case studies to illustrate, for example, why water conservation is not a neutral policy or principle (demonstrating how other legitimate values can be adversely affected by a single-purpose pursuit of conservation); the various options available for conservation; how reallocation occurs in market transactions; and the legal restrictions on the sale of conserved surplus water. Although formal market mechanisms are found to be rudimentary or lacking in most areas of the West, the authors contend that more proficient markets will evolve to measure the economic value of agricultural water. They conclude that a "conserve-and-transfer" strategy is selectively workable through the use of incentives, but that a number of tradeoffs, social concerns, and institutional constraints, which have not been adequately recognized to date, will have to be dealt with by policymakers if the strategy is to have wider application Notes Gary Weatherford is director of the Water Program at the Center for Natural Resource Studies of the John Muir Institute. Lee Brown is associate professor of economics at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Helen Ingram is professor of government at the University of Arizona. Dean Mann is professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara Subject Irrigation -- Government policy -- West (U.S.) Agriculture and state -- West (U.S.) Water conservation -- Government policy -- West (U.S.) Water transfer -- Government policy -- West (U.S.) POLITICAL SCIENCE -- General. Agriculture and state Irrigation -- Government policy Water conservation -- Government policy Water transfer -- Government policy West United States Form Electronic book Author Weatherford, Gary D. ISBN 0429267258 9780429267253 1000004198 9781000017557 1000017559 9781000011036 1000011038 9781000004199

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