WEATHER STRESS, SUCH AS HIGH TEMPERATURES AND DROUGHT, IS AN INCREASING CONCERN FOR AGRICULTURE IN THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. IRRIGATION CAN HELP MITIGATE THESE RISKS BY SUPPLYING SUFFICIENT WATER TO CROPS DURING CRITICAL GROWTH PERIODS. HOWEVER, ADOPTION OF IRRIGATION REMAINS LOW AMONG SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED FARMERS, LEAVING THEM HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO WEATHER-RELATED PRODUCTION RISKS. TWO POTENTIAL BARRIERS TO IRRIGATION ADOPTION ARE FARMERS' UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF IRRIGATION AND LIMITED ACCESS TO PRECISE WEATHER FORECASTS. WE WILL CONDUCT SURVEYS TO COLLECT DATA AND ASSESS THE EXTENT OF THESE BARRIERS. BASED ON THIS EVIDENCE, WE WILL DESIGN EXPERIMENTS TO COMPREHENSIVELY TEST HOW THESE BARRIERS INFLUENCE ADOPTION. OUR RESEARCH WILL GENERATE ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS FOR FARMERS, EXTENSION PROFESSIONALS, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, ULTIMATELY SUPPORTING IMPROVED RISK MITIGATION AND MORE RESILIENT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S.