SECURING WATER FOR AND FROM AGRICULTURE THROUGH EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

This project-- Securing Water for and from Agriculture through Effective Community and Stakeholder Engagement-- will promote sustainable water for agriculture by developing a proven, flexible, and transferable model of stakeholder engagement that transforms the way scientists, Cooperative Extension, agency officials, and engagement specialists approach critical water availability issues. This project will develop, conduct, evaluate, and disseminate an engagement model that works across differing hydrological and agricultural contexts in the U.S. The model will be tested in three case study locations (Arizona, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania) that represent a range of biophysical and social contexts, yet share long-standing and emerging water availability concerns related to water for agriculture. The project will examine basic research questions about the knowledge-to-action pathways by which engagement impacts individual and collective capacity to address water availability challenges, landscape management behaviors, and ultimately, water quality and quantity outcomes. Changes attributed to the engagement efforts will be assessed at the individual (knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, identities), collective (norms, social networks), and institutional (programs, resource allocations, partnerships) levels. Biophysical impacts will be assessed by examining practice implementation and changes in water quantity and quality parameters using model simulations and field experiments. The project team will consult with international partners (Israel, Australia) to learn from those countries' ongoing engagement and assessment work. Based on these changes, project impacts range from the individual to the national, with the ultimate goal to create a transferable model of stakeholder engagement that can be used in any area facing critical questions related to water for agriculture.