![]() “It may include different crop choices, as well as different approaches to agriculture and considering which areas of the state geographically are best suited to agriculture and which types of agriculture that the state wants to promote,” said White, who is associate vice president for research advancement at ASU, as well as director of the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. Among Arizona respondents, 40% removed orchard trees or other multi-year crops because of water restrictions.ĭave White, a sustainability scientist at ASU, expects a combination of changes in agriculture, including shrinking farmland. ![]() A recent survey about the drought by the American Farm Bureau Federation of more than 650 farmers in 15 Western states found that 74% saw a reduction in harvests and 42% switched crops. Photo courtesy of iStockĬhange is already happening. The Akimel O’odham people grew cotton a thousand years ago, and nearly 60% of Arizona’s farmers today are Native American.Ī cotton field in southern Arizona. Department of Agriculture, are alfalfa, at about 305,000 acres cotton, 130,000 acres corn, 95,000 acres lettuce, 64,000 acres, and wheat, 53,000.Īgriculture is a $23 billion industry in Arizona and dates back hundreds of years. The biggest crops in Arizona, according to the U.S. “So it will fall to agriculture just as a numbers issue,” she said.īut what that will look like is uncertain. The rest is consumed almost entirely by cities, which cannot reduce their use enough to compensate for the upcoming cuts. “In the whole Colorado basin, agriculture uses 75% to 80% of the water,” said Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy, which is part of the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at ASU. Arizona’s 'Five Cs’ are climate, copper, citrus, cattle and cotton with water restrictions, will we still grow cotton?Īgriculture is the biggest user of water in Arizona and will likely be the biggest source of cuts. Here are some of our experts’ opinions on what we might see in the future, based on the science of today. The amount of change depends on Arizonans’ willingness to make hard choices. Other water sources come from: groundwater, 41% in-state rivers, 18%, and reclaimed water, 5%, according to the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University.ĪSU’s experts on water don’t have a crystal ball, but their deep expertise leads them to predict definite changes to our environment and lifestyle. The Colorado River supplies about 36% of Arizona’s water. Arizona will lose about one-fifth of its share. Cuts in the water allotments were imposed in 2022, and this summer, the federal government increased those cuts. Will the Valley of the Sun face the same fate?Ĭlimate change has produced a megadrought that has reduced water in the Colorado River, which was already overallocated to the seven states in its basin. Drastically lowered water levels that have left a “bathtub ring” around the perimeter and uncovered junk that was thrown into the reservoir decades ago have changed the ecosystem and impacted the tourism industry. ![]() The landscape at Lake Mead in Arizona looks apocalyptic. Read the first installment on the history of the Colorado Water Compact and the second installment on what it means for cities, agriculture and the individual. NovemASU experts predict how water consumption might look in our state, based on the science of todayĮditor's note: This is the third in a three-part series examining water in the Southwest in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the Colorado River Compact.
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