Peer Irrigators and the Choice of Field Management and Water Control Practices for Irrigation in Arkansas

Victoria Bailey,Kent Kovacs,Larry J Krutz,Qiuqiong Huang,Christopher Henry

doi:10.3390/agronomy11122473

Victoria Bailey, Kent Kovacs + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11122473

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Abstract

We examined how irrigation techniques in use by family and friends influence the use and share of land utilizing different irrigation techniques by Arkansas producers. A bivariate sample selection model simultaneously estimated how farm characteristics determine the use and explain the share of a farm that utilizes an irrigation technique. We found that the irrigation techniques in use by family and friends do affect the irrigation techniques a producer uses and the share of acres utilizing different irrigation techniques. A producer with a family or friend that uses end-blocking irrigation is 41% more likely to use end-blocking themselves. Having a family or friend who uses pivot irrigation technology tends to decrease the share of irrigated acres that utilizes end block irrigation by 0.211. We also found that when the irrigation techniques in use by family and friends interact with variables such as location and participation in a regional conservation partnership program, the effects on the producer’s decision vary. The share of irrigated acres that use cutback irrigation decreases by 0.21 for a producer who has a peer that uses irrigation scheduling. However, if the producer lives along Crowley’s Ridge and has a peer that uses irrigation scheduling, the share of irrigated acres that use cutback irrigation decreases by an additional 0.54.

Highlights

Increasing demands of water for fibers, biofuels, and other products driven by population and economic growth have highlighted the potential limitations on water supplies for agriculture [1]
A producer with a peer that uses computerized hole selection (PeerCHS) has a likelihood of using border irrigation that decreases by 14.3%
Having a peer that uses zero grade irrigation increases the chance of using border irrigation by

Summary

Introduction

Increasing demands of water for fibers, biofuels, and other products driven by population and economic growth have highlighted the potential limitations on water supplies for agriculture [1]. Many studies have provided clear evidence of economic factors, demographic characteristics, and environmental conditions with results explaining their influence on the use of irrigation technologies [3,4,5,6]. Have on a producer’s use of varying agriculture technologies [7,8,9], while few studies have evaluated the influence of friends and family on the use of irrigation technologies. This paper is an effort to merge these two approaches and provide additional information, to the current literature, concerning the effects of friends and family on the use of different irrigation technologies. We examined whether social interactions or relationships with family, friends, and other producers (peer network) influence the use of specific irrigation technologies, while controlling for crop choice, current irrigation systems, and demographic characteristics. We further explored the heterogeneity in peer influence by considering how the peer influence depends on the sub-region in Arkansas and a producer’s participation in conservation programs

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