GROWING DEMAND FOR WATER RESOURCES COUPLED WITH CLIMATE-DRIVEN WATER SCARCITY AND VARIABILITY PRESENT CRITICAL CHALLENGES TO AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PRODUCTION. DESPITE EXTENSIVE RESOURCES ALLOCATED TO DOWNSCALING CLIMATE PROJECTIONS, CLIMATE INFORMATION IS RARELY UTILIZED BY PRODUCERS TO MITIGATE HARM OR IMPROVE WATER DECISIONS. THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED TO DEVELOP MORE EFFECTIVE CLIMATE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE WATER DECISION-MAKING AND ADAPTATION TO BOTH DROUGHT AND WATER VARIABILITY. TO ADDRESS THIS NEED, WE PROPOSE A COLLABORATIVE, MIXED-METHODS, EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH PROJECT TO DEVELOP HIGH QUALITY CLIMATE INFORMATION AND TEST THE EFFICACY OF THAT INFORMATION FOR PRODUCER DECISION-MAKING. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ARE TO:• TRANSFORM EXISTING FORECASTS AND PROJECTIONS INTO INNOVATIVE CLIMATE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES THAT MEET PRODUCER NEEDS.• DEVELOP A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THESE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES ARE UTILIZED IN PRODUCER DECISIONS ABOUT WATERUSE AND CONSERVATION, AND ADAPTATION TO DROUGHT AND VARIABILITY. THIS RESEARCH ADDRESSES KEY PRIORITIES BY FOCUSING ON (1) INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES TO CHANGES IN WATER AVAILABILITY AND DECISIONS AND BEHAVIORS RELATED TO WATER USE, (2) THE BARRIERS AND DISINCENTIVES TO THE ADOPTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND THE SPECIFIC CHANGES TO INFORMATION THAT ARE NEEDED TO OVERCOME THOSE BARRIERS, AND (3) THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHANGING BEHAVIOR TOWARD RELEVANT TECHNOLOGIES. THROUGH THIS PROJECT, AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF HYDROCLIMATOLOGISTS, SOCIAL SCIENTISTS, AND EXTENSION SPECIALISTS WILL BUILD KNOWLEDGE OF THE KEY FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DECISION-MAKING AND THE BEHAVIORS THAT DRIVE WATER USE AS WELL AS BUILD CAPACITY TO MANAGE THE CHANGING AVAILABILITY OF WATER.

University Of Montana, Missoula MT

Investigators