Date of Graduation

12-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Agricultural Economics (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness

Advisor/Mentor

Huang, Qiuqiong

Committee Member

Runkles, Henry

Second Committee Member

Nalley, Lawton L.

Third Committee Member

Kovacs, Kent F.

Keywords

continued use; groundwater; irrigation management practices; water use

Abstract

The paper assesses row crop producers continued use of irrigation management practices, namely the decision to continue rather than stop the use of irrigation practices, using a probit with a sample selection model. To better explain and increase user acceptance, we must understand why producers adopt and continue using irrigation management practices. Past studies have researched the adoption of management practices. However, it is also essential to consider what factors influence continued use and why producers discontinue irrigation practices after adoption. This is the first study to investigate factors influencing the continued use of irrigation management practices in Arkansas. Producers in Arkansas have adopted irrigation management practices; however, a few years later, they were abandoned. Irrigation management practices adopted by a relatively higher proportion of producers in Arkansas include Water flow meters, Multiple-Inlet with Poly-Pipe irrigation rice, and Computerized pipe-hole-selection. Factors such as hours of in-depth training, knowing producers that used the same practice, and the percentage of countywide producers in agricultural conservation programs significantly impacted adoption. However, the likelihood of continuing to use a practice increases with the number of people a producer knows who have already used a practice, the percentage of farmland leased or rented, and the practice associated with less labor and pumping time.

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Available for download on Wednesday, February 05, 2025

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