Publications

@article{waring_reimagining_2025,

title = {Reimagining alfalfa as a flexible crop for water security in the Southwestern USA},

author = {Emily Waring and Helen E. Dahlke and John T. Abatzoglou and Josu\'{e} Medell\'{i}n-Azuara and Matt A. Yost and Khaled M. Bali and Colleen C. Naughton and Daniel H. Putnam and Robert Sabie and Siddharth Kishore and Nicholas R. Santos and Joshua H. Viers},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725014925},

doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179851},

issn = {0048-9697},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-08-01},

urldate = {2025-08-01},

journal = {Science of The Total Environment},

volume = {990},

pages = {179851},

abstract = {Alfalfa has been vilified as one of the thirstiest crops in the semi-arid southwestern USA and partially responsible for decreased water security in the Colorado, Rio Grande and San Joaquin River basins. We demonstrate that adoption of summer deficit irrigation in alfalfa production can yield large water savings and flexibility to adapt to changing water supplies with minimal on-field economic impact. We estimate that deficit irrigation of alfalfa can save 1333 to 4157 million cubic meters of water annually (16\textendash50 % of total alfalfa water use) over 926,000 ha in the southwestern USA if summer deficit irrigation (suspended after July 1) were implemented. Cash-flow analyses, assuming a producer sells conserved irrigation water and forfeits revenue from alfalfa sales beyond August 1, indicate a possible win-win net benefit at a price point of greater than $71 (Tulare, CA) or $44 (Imperial, CA) per 1000 m3 of irrigation water. We document the benefits of summer deficit irrigation for water conservation and farm and regional agricultural economic viability in rural communities. We acknowledge its practical challenges and risks as it will require infrastructure for water trading, support systems and mechanisms for producer decision-making, and improvements to field-level water accounting. These findings underscore the need to reassess the role of alfalfa in water management, not just as a water-intensive crop but also as a flexible one that may be a key instrument in achieving agricultural resilience against the backdrop of climate variability and recurring droughts.},

keywords = {Alfalfa, Deficit irrigation, Regional water management, Water resources, Water security},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{espinoza_paradox_2024,

title = {The paradox of production: Surface water supply drives agricultural productivity but not prosperity in California’s San Joaquin Valley},

author = {Vicky Espinoza and Joshua H. Viers},

url = {https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000192},

doi = {10.1371/journal.pwat.0000192},

issn = {2767-3219},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-06-01},

urldate = {2024-06-01},

journal = {PLOS Water},

volume = {3},

number = {6},

pages = {e0000192},

publisher = {Public Library of Science},

abstract = {Societies globally are struggling to meet freshwater demands while agencies attempt to address water access inequities under a rapidly changing climate and growing population. An understanding of dynamic interactions between people and water, known as sociohydrology, regionally could provide approaches to addressing local water mismanagement and water access inequity. In semi-arid California, local water agencies, primarily agricultural irrigation districts, are at the intersection of rethinking approaches to balance freshwater demands. More than 150 years of complex water governance and management have defined San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts and the region’s water access inequities and sociohydrologic instability. Older irrigation districts have higher surface water allocations and less groundwater dependence. About 60% of irrigation districts with pre-1914 water rights have twice the crop water demand in surface water allocations. In contrast, 86% of irrigation districts depend on groundwater, of which 12% rely exclusively on groundwater to supply irrigation demands. This study found that disadvantaged communities within irrigation districts do not have increased water access or better environmental conditions than those outside irrigation district boundaries, which underscores the need for inclusive water management structures to address the multifaceted water and environmental inequities. Groundwater overdependence across irrigation districts shows that imbalanced surface water allocations and inflexible crops could imperil agriculture and impact agricultural disadvantaged communities, especially under California’s SGMA and prolonged drought events. It is imperative that underserved communities are prioritized communities in achieving equitable water rebalance in California in addition to developing and implementing essential infrastructure and policy changes.},

keywords = {Agricultural irrigation, Climate change, Crops, Surface irrigation, Surface water, Valleys, Water management, Water resources},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}