Water Conservation in the American West

Groundwater and Agricultural Communities

Climate change has a significant impact on water resources in the American West, especially for communities dependent on irrigated agriculture. Ensuring water security is critical to preserving local economies.

Research techniques, such as behavioral economic games, can help us understand how incentives and interventions shape water conservation practices.

Digital Behavioral Economics Game

This research developed a digital behavioral economic game using data from the San Luis Valley in Colorado. This approach contributes to understanding groundwater consumption and conservation within agricultural communities.

In 2023, stakeholders validated the game as a tool to explore groundwater conservation practices and discussed its advantages compared to traditional methods like surveys.

Game Outcomes

The game showed that financial incentives substantially influenced crop choices and water use patterns, demonstrating the impact of data transparency and revealing the development of collaborative behaviors.

Qualitative assessments highlighted real-world challenges, including aquifer restoration pressures and threats to local economies reliant on irrigated agriculture.

Discussions emphasized the need for improved water conservation education and effective subsidy approaches for agricultural practices.

Game's Utility

The study tool will aid policy makers in exploring and testing innovative institutional solutions to overexploiting natural renewable resources.

It also informs and empowers communities to proactively engage in collaborative problem-solving processes for enhanced community water conservation efforts.