Climate Smart Agriculture in the Southwest: A Discussion with State and Federal Policy Leaders

Colorado River water sustainability is inextricably connected to the future of agriculture in the United States southwest and northwestern Mexico. Irrigated agriculture utilizes nearly three-quarters of the water supplies in the Colorado Basin, occupies over 4 million acres of land, and provides food and fiber for the 40 million residents that receive water from the basin and for global agricultural exports. Now, irrigated agriculture faces an increasingly uncertain future where water supplies will not only be reduced, but also less reliable and more expensive. That’s because myriad factors cause competition for water supplies, among them: climate-change induced aridification, a 20-plus-year drought, and water demands from increasing population and urban growth. At the same time, many farmers’ energy costs will increase if hydropower production is reduced due to drought. Our three speakers are at the forefront of efforts to address these challenges and chart a sustainable future for agriculture in the west. Join us to discuss the future of agriculture in the Colorado River Basin and throughout the region.

This webinar is part of the Sustainable Agricultural Water Futures Discussion Series and Lincoln Institute Dialogue Series.

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Speakers

Gloria Montaño Greene, Deputy Under Secretary, USDA

Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture

Kate Greenberg, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture

Moderator

Jim Holway, Director, Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy