Match management practices to water supply and demand

The agriculture sector uses a substantial amount of ground and surface water resources in the United States. Agriculture also sometimes competes for the same water resources as urban and industrial demands, and climate change has the potential to alter both water availability and demand. Warmer temperatures increase water loss through evaporation and plant transpiration such that more water is generally needed to maintain productivity under warmed conditions. Further, altered precipitation patterns have the potential to increase water demand where the amount of precipitation decreases or where precipitation is concentrated into fewer, more intense events. On-farm water stewardship can extend the availability of water under changed climate conditions. To be effective, this approach must build upon the practices used in the field to improve the water infiltration function of the soil. This approach emphasizes practices and technologies for on-farm water management to improve the efficiency of water use in order to sustain water supplies over the long term. More substantial changes may require investments in new infrastructure, which are described in Strategy 8 (Alter infrastructure to accommodate new and expected conditions).

Climate has the potential to disrupt critical functions of soil and water, and many management actions will be needed to work both directly and indirectly to maintain the integrity of agricultural systems in the face of climate change. Many existing guidelines and conservation practices describe actions to reduce impacts to soil and water; many of these actions are also likely to be beneficial in the context of adaptation, either in their current form or with modifications to address potential climate change impacts.