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University of Idaho

Water Resource Management Communication Situational Analysis

February 28, 2013

2 General Overview Massive changes in the worlds water landscape have occurred in the past century due to changes such as urbanization and climate change (WPP 2011). The world is facing serious water issues including water scarcity, changes in the water cycle, increased frequency in water related natural hazards, and water pollution. Climate change, in addition to poor water resource management, will continue to exacerbate the over arching water problem if steps arent taken to reduce water pollution, increase water use efficiency, and reduce contributions to climate change and environmental degradation. No longer can the historical hydrologic pattern be counted on to predict future water patterns (UN 2012). An increase in water related natural hazards, in particular, has the potential to impact everyone on the planet. Already, there has been an increase in mortality caused by water related natural hazards in the past 40 years. Drought and water scarcity are major problems that will continue to get worse as climate change progresses and poor water management continues. Changes in water resources will effect the poorest in the world the most. Adaptation and mitigation to climate change and environmental degradation are crucial to how water crisis will be handled. Because water is a natural resource that everyone uses on a daily basis, everyone should be informed about the status of resources. The problem is that many people do not know there is a water resource problem and see water as an indefinitely renewable resource. In the United States, one of the biggest water consumers is agriculture. Finding ways to reduce the amount of water used to irrigate land and to run farms would greatly help with water conservation efforts. Alternatively, finding ways to use recycled water, especially for irrigation, would also be helpful for water conservation in the United States.

Background Underlying causes of problem

3 There are two causes of water resource challenges. One is poor water resource management. Over-exploiting water resources along with water pollution add to increasing water scarcity. Changes in the hydrologic cycle also cause water resource challenges (UN 2009). Global temperatures are on the rise (UN 2009). Global trends in water extremes are not clear yet but trends in regional extremes are becoming clearer. Most scientists agree that climate change will result in an intensification, acceleration, and enhancement of the global hydrologic cycle (UN 2009). Evidence exists that this is already happening (UN 2009). Regional patterns such as increase drought, and changes in precipitation patterns are complex and variable and the effects between the short term and long term tend to change. Hydrologic patterns are affected by timing, intensity, magnitude, phase and state of precipitation, evaporation, and transpiration (Cowell 2009). Changes in the water cycle reflect interaction of varying temperatures and precipitation (Cowell 2009). Past efforts to address problem Better water resource management has been addressed at local levels in the past. On a large (national or global) scale it has only begun to be addressed in the past 1520 years. As scientists gain a better understanding of the worlds water scarcity crisis, water resource management has become a more predominant issue.

Scope and Urgency Water covers about 75 percent of planet earth. Of all water, only about three percent is fresh water, of which two and a half percent is frozen in the form of glaciers and snow. That leaves about half a percent of all the water in the world to provide for the worlds total water supply (WBCSD 2006). In the past 50 years, there has been an increase in demand for water and a decrease in the quality of water. Poor water management practices have been contributing to the water crisis. Without better water management, many countries will not be able to meet needs of human development, food security, energy security, and urban development in the near

4 future (WPP 2011). Several drivers in water demand include: food and agriculture, energy, industry, human population and ecosystems. Agriculture accounts for about 70 percent of all water use (UN 2012). Water use has been growing at a rate twice that of the rate of population increases in the past century (UN 2006). Currently, about 800 million people live in areas suffering from insufficient water sources. By 2025, that number is expected to reach 1800 million people. Around 20 percent of the world population lacks access to renewable water resources. Over one billion people live in arid or semi-arid regions and have little to no access to renewable water resources (UN 2009). The most affected people will be the poorest of the poor. And of the poorest of the poor, the most affected will be women and children (Sharma 2009). Future water predictions are hard to make (UN 2012). Data for some regions and for some aspects of water are incomplete. Inconsistencies in the natural hydrologic monitoring networks and data create challenges for water predictions. Renewable water supplies are some times uncertain. Due to insufficient data, it is hard to understand and predict future water quality and quantity (UN 2009). The percent of total water used for agricultural irrigation in different countries varies. In India, for example, 90 percent of the water budget is earmarked for irrigation. China and Egypt both use 85 percent of their total water budget on irrigation (WBCSD 2006). The use of grey water, also known as recycled water, is on the rise for irrigating crops, which relieves pressures put on potable water for crop irrigation. As the world moves from a starch-based diet to a diet heavy in meat and dairy products water demands continue to grow. The increase in demand for the livestock is not only affecting the amount of water needed but also affecting the quality of water. Livestock production and processing requires large amounts of water and these activities also pollute water. In fact, slaughterhouses are the second largest users of water in the meat-processing industry. Slaughterhouses are also significant water polluters (UN 2012).

5 The world needs to begin producing more water-sustainable food. For example: one kilogram of rice uses about 3,500 liters of water to produce while one kilogram of beef requires about 15,000 liters of water to produce. If everyone in the world begins demanding more beef to eat, there will be a serious change in water trends for agricultural use. Due to the increase in population, by 2030 food demands are expected to increase by 50 percent. They are expected to increase by 70 percent by 2050. Water-smart food production will need to be at the forefront if this is to be done sustainably (UN 2012). Another estimate is that the world will require 70 percent more food over the next 40 years (Peterson 2010). As the world population grows and there is an increase in demand for food there will also be an increase demand for water to produce the food. Why should this problem be addressed now? Many areas in the world are facing water shortages and water crisis today. Between 1990 and 1995, water use worldwide increased by six times, which was much greater than world population growth. Approximately one third of the world population is living in areas with a water shortage. If this trend continues, well over half of the earths population will live in areas of water crisis by 2025 (Macedonio 2012). Opportunities and recent developments The use of recycled water has been on the rise in the past 10 years. The benefits of using recycled water are numerous. It diverts polluted water away from sensitive ecosystems. Also, it can prevent excessive amounts of water from being taken from sensitive freshwater ecosystems and draining them. Recycled water can help repair wetland ecosystems. This could be especially useful in the prairie pothole region that has suffered the loss of most wetlands in the past century. Water recycling can also reduce and prevent pollution. Because recycled water can contain high levels of nutrients, discharging it into existing bodies of water is not the best idea because it can lead to an increase in eutrophication, which in turn can lead to toxic algal blooms. Instead, this nutrient rich water can be used in irrigation and also offers

6 nutrients to plants, as long as the nutrients fall within the EPA recommended limits (EPA). A 2001 study in San Diego showed that recycled water used for non-potable or indirect potable purposes cost only 90% of the price of using potable water. Irrigation systems do not require much modification to be able to use recycled water. Fully understanding the economic value of recycled water involves quantifying the value of water resources and comparing them to the value of improved soil structure and fertility, preservation of clean water resources, and reductions in energy consumption that are the result of recycled water. All of these factors, in addition to the direct costs of recycling water, need to be used in calculating the economic value. Wastewater treatment doesnt have to be expensive. There are effective low costs options available (WHO).

Target Population Data The population I purpose to target is farmers in West Central Minnesota. Irrigation and agriculture are one of the largest water users in the US. There are about two million farms in the United States of America. Less than one percent of the population, or about 960,000 people in the U.S., claim farming as their primary occupation. Individuals and families run the majority of these farms, about 90%. Six percent are run by partnerships and 3% are large corporate farms. About 40 percent of the farmers in the U.S. are age 55 and older (EPA 2012). Population description Minnesota has 119,650 farm operators (USDA 2007). Farmers in Minnesota are a diverse group of people. Forty nine percent of farmers in Minnesota consider farming to be their primary occupation. Less than three percent of farmer operators (who consider farming to be their primary occupation) in Minnesota are age 34 and younger. Six percent of farm operators in Minnesota are age 35 to 44, 13 percent are

7 age 45 to 54, 12 percent are 55 to 64, and 14 percent are 65 and older (USDA 2007). Of 80,992 farms in Minnesota, 39,628 are considered the primary source of income for their operators. Of the 80,992 farms in Minnesota, 35,035 are cropland farms; 2,918 of these cropland farms irrigate their land. Eighty six percent of Minnesota farms are run by families or individuals, 49,377 of these farms are run by a single operator working alone, 26,670 farms in Minnesota are run by 2 operators working together, 73,631 of all Minnesota farm operators are male; the remaining 7,361 operators are females. Caucasians run 99.3% of farms in Minnesota (USDA 2011). Motivators and barriers Motivators for farmers and ag industry workers would also include saving money on water bills. By presenting recent and relevant data on watering crops and money savings by limiting water use many farmers may be encouraged to reduce their water consumption, especially for uses such as irrigating cropland. There could also be financial incentives for using recycled water to irrigate cropland. Using recycled water would not work for all areas of water use in agriculture but would be beneficial to irrigation. There are also barriers in targeting farmers and ag workers in the United States. The majority of these farmers are age 55 and older. This population has typically been farming for the majority of their lives. If they have been using irrigation while farming it may be hard for them to go back to not using irrigation or to limit their irrigation. They may not understand the benefits of using recycled water and may consider the use of recycled or grey water dirty. Bridging the communication gap for this population could be very challenging. Another barrier is crop production. Farmers may need the irrigation resources to get better yields or believe that the extra water they are spraying on their crops is helping with better yields (even if it is not true). Because farmers have been pushed for higher and higher yields in their crops they often feel that there is no other way than to use irrigation. Farmers attitudes towards conservation are varied. There are many variables that affect how farmers value conservation. Some of these variables include how water

8 conservation affects the quality of farm life, views of their responsibilities to nature versus their responsibility to produce crops to feed the population, and by extension, their own families, the quality of their land, family security, happiness, and their economic capacities to use conservation techniques. Attitudes favoring conservation are strengthened by economic incentives. (Lynne 1988). Why target this population Targeting farmers makes sense because the ag industry and specifically irrigation use the majority of water resources in the United States. Targeting specifically farmers and ag workers also narrows down the target population to something more manageable. It will reduce the message from general water conservation to more specifically how farmers and ag workers can make water reductions, how it can benefit them, technologies available to them, relevant scientific data, and advances in water recycling and how it can benefit the ag industry. This reduces the message down to specific points that this population can relate to and better understand. A more specific message will be more effective in reaching the targeted population.

Available Resources To reach my target populations there are many types of resources that could be used. Mass Media and trusted resources The majority of farmer and ag workers in my target population watch the news and read the local newspaper. They also typically subscribe to journals and newspapers such as Doane and Beef Magazine. Many of these agribusiness type newspapers and journals can now be accessed from online rather than from traditional print although print versions still seem to be preferred (Clare 2013). US farmers tend to trust a variety of sources depending on what type of farming they do. Often farmers

9 attend events such as local research facilitys field day where research from agricultural scientist is put on display and their projects are presented. Farmers that attend such events often gain a better understanding of their crops and livestock (Clare 2013). If such events were to include a presentation on water use in ag industry it could be a very effective means of communicating water reduction to the local farmers that attend the event. Social media options such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter are not likely to reach significant portions of the farming population. Only 68 percent of farmers use social media, with the majority of these using Facebook (Farm Journal Media 2011). Digital media and social media have been on the rise and will continue to grow (Agri Council 2012), but the primary source of information for most farmers remain agricultural magazines and newspapers. Agri Council predicted that even in the future, agricultural newspapers and magazines will continue to be leading sources of information for farmers. Ninety eight percent of surveyed farmers report reading agricultural newspapers and magazines at least monthly, while 80 percent of farmers surveyed reported reading local newspapers at least monthly (Agri Council 2012). Funding Resources At the present time, there seems to be a lack of funding for water resource communication. There are ample grant opportunities for research in water management but not for communication of water management research conclusions. Without funding it will be very challenging to present this message to farmers and ag workers. The research, time, energy, and presentation will require funds to put together. Alliances There are many organizations dedicated to raising public awareness about water resource issues. Some of these are government-related such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and United Nations Water. Some state-led campaigns

10 work toward bettering water resources such as Campaign for Clean Water in Pennsylvania. Other organizations are non-profits such as Greenpeace. Many smaller groups work to address water conservation in the United States and worldwide. Some of these organizations would be practical to join alliances with but others would not. For example, joining alliances with a statewide campaign may be very helpful in creating a more effective message but joining alliances with a group such as Greenpeace could water-down a message about water conservation targeted to a specific group such as farmers or ag workers.

Summary Water is one of the most important resources on the Earth. Because water scarcity is on the rise it is highly important that water resources are better managed both with water conservation and protection of water resources. One of the largest water users in the United States is agriculture. Some of the main uses for water in agriculture are irrigation, meat production, and meat processing. Through better communication and good water resource management with people working as farmers and ag workers there is potential for better water conservation in this industry. Focusing on the use of recycled water in agriculture, specifically irrigation, seems like an effective way to reduce the use of potable water for irrigation purposes and allow for farmers to continue irrigating their lands. But by using recycled water there will have to be research conducted on water treatment to make sure it is safe for irrigation use. Water conservation is a broad topic but making even small advances in better water resource management will benefit people and the environment.

11 Resources Clare, Larry. Personal Interview. 16 Feb 2013. Cowell, C.M. et al. The Changing Geography of the U.S. Water Budget: TwentiethCentury Patterns and Twenty-First-Century Projections. Annuals of the Association of American Geographers 2010, 100 (4) 740754 Web 11 Feb 2013. EPA.gov Ag 101 Demographics. 2012. Web 11 Feb 2013. EPA. Guidelines for water reuse. 2004. Web 11 Feb 2013. Lynne, G.D., J. S. Shonkwiler and Leandro R. Rola. Attitudes and Farmer Conservation Behavior. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 70, No. 1 (Feb., 1988), pp. 12-19. Web 12 March 2013. Macedonio, F; et al. Efficient technologies for worldwide clean water supply. Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification 2012, 51, 2-17. Web 11 Feb 2013. Sharma, V.A. Sustainability and Water. Sustainability 2009, 128-137. Web 11 Feb 2013. UN-Water. Coping with water scarcity. 2006. Web 11 Feb 2013. UN-Water. Water Hazard Risks. 2012. Web 11 Feb 2013 USDA: National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2011 State Agriculture Overview: Minnesota. Web March 12, 2013. USDA Census of Agriculture. 2007 Census Volume 1, Chapter 1: State Level Data. Web March 12, 2013. USDA: National Agricultural Statistic Service. 2007 Census of Agriculture: Demographics. Web March 12, 2013.

12 World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Facts and trends in water. 2006. Web 11 Feb 2013. World Health Organization. GLAAS 2012 report. 2012. Web 11 Feb 2013. World Health Organization. Guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta and greywater. Volume 2: Wastewater use in agriculture. 2006. Web 11 Feb 2013. Water Partnership Program (WPP). Driving change in water: 2010 Annual report. The World Bank 2011. Web 11 Feb 2013. WWAP (World Water Assessment Programme). The United Nations World Water Development Report 3: Water in a Changing World. Paris: UNESCO, and London: Earthscan. 2009. Web 11 Feb 2013. WWAP (World Water Assessment Programme). The United Nations World Water Development Report 4: Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risk. Paris, UNESCO. 2012. Web 11 Feb 2013.