PUB00041

• Year: 1998
• Title: Western Irrigation Economic Benfits Review
• CWCB Section: Finance
• Author: Family Farm Alliance
• Description: White paper on the role of irrigated agriculture in the 21st century.
• Publications - Doc Type: Tech Report

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of the :\'l'\\ West. Tht., si~nific:lIIc{, of the economic contribution is told hy (,\:lminin~ the
production nllm' of irrigated a~ri'.'lIltun' :wd hm\ Ihis production ,":lIue works its \\:1)
through state and n'gional l'(:onomil's.

To offer a framc,\ork fnr dt.'('j..ions affecting futun' irrigatl'd agrit.'ulturt.' and \\;Her
r('sourl'l' management. attl'lllion i... fCH:uscd Oil the CHlll'C.'ph of marginall'collomil' \ :llue and
economic tradl'-offs. particularly" IIt'rc issues concerning environmental rC!lourccs arc
in\'oln'd. And hee:'lmc irrig:ttt.'d :lgriculturl> is composed of direct economic ..t.1kt'holders.
their ,'j"".. and rl'comml'ndatiollS arc presented tow:lnJ how to ackrll)\\lcdge their
('ontrihution to the :\'l'\\ Wl'st. <Iud tlu' IIl'cd to include thl' ('contHnil..' stakchohJcf'; \\ ithin
Jl.'~itim:ltl' planning amI dl'cision-making prol'essl's for water lllanagl..'II1l'nt.

This \\"hitl' P:lpl'r dOt'S not :lltl..'mpl to addn'ss l'nry issue or ans\\er ne~ question
.thout Ihe futun' roll' of irrigatl'd agricullun' in till' :"l'\\ \\'l'St. It presents a slarlin~ point
for hl'lIl'r undl..'rst.tmling the cconoll1ic contrihution of irrigated agriculture. and
considering the tr:ldl..'-offs of water fl'SOllrccs m.lIIageltlenl--while acknowlcdging thc
din'cl cconomic stakeholders' pcrsllCcti,'c ill W:ltcr resources dl'l..'ision ll1uking. Thl' \\"hitc
Puper authors h:l\'l' attempled to con\'cy this perspcetin to decision makl'rs. but in doing
so. they also han 1'IHIl'.t\'orl'd 10 prl'sl'nt technical dala and puhlislu'd information in a
factually correct manner. Till.' authors openly concede that perspcdins on irrigated
agriculturl.' :lnd en\'ironfllental resourCl' man:l~emcnt arc often suhjcctin. including the
policy fccomml'ndations that emcrge from such pcrspectin.s.

Economic5 Bcncfif KCyiclU/P3gC-5