Collaborative Groundwater Governance in Arizona: Producer Perspectives on Declining Supplies and Emerging Policies

Commodities

Practices

• Education and Training: farmer to farmer, participatory research, workshop
• Sustainable Communities: community development, local and regional food systems, partnerships, public participation, public policy

Groundwater depletion poses a significant threat to the sustainability of Arizona's USD $31 billion agricultural industry. In response, the state has implemented new groundwater policies to mitigate overdraft and protect future supplies. As these new policies emerge, producers face increasing uncertainty about groundwater access and the future of their operations.

In this project, I will partner directly with agricultural producers in Arizona to examine how emerging groundwater scarcity and policies impact farm-level decision-making, risk management, and long-term planning. My research seeks to understand 1) how different producers experience groundwater scarcity and policy risk, 2) how these experiences impact their willingness to participate in multilevel collaborative governance, and 3) how locally-led governance structures intersect with state and federal policy initiatives in Arizona.

Using a participatory action research approach, I will work with producers across different production systems and scales to identify shared challenges, needs, and opportunities for collaborative groundwater governance. This project combines mixed methods (interviews, surveys) and educational outreach (quarterly events and a policy roundtable) to document producer perspectives on policy design and emerging governance efforts.

Through this research, I will identify barriers and opportunities for multilevel, collaborative groundwater governance approaches that work for producers while supporting long-term aquifer sustainability. This project can provide a more nuanced understanding of priorities and actionable guidance for groundwater governance, while providing a replicable model for community-led agricultural groundwater governance in Arizona and beyond.

Research Objectives

1. Identify distinct producer groups and their groundwater governance priorities and perspectives
2. Quantitatively assess variation in governance engagement across producer groups
3. Compare decision-makers' priorities and perspectives on collaborative governance with those of producers to identify underlying factors that lead to complementarity or conflict

Education Objectives

1. Over the grant period, host 6-8 quarterly educational webinars or in-person site visits to share project findings, discuss groundwater governance challenges, and foster continued learning and dialogue among producers and agriculture professionals
2. By February 2028, co-develop and deliver a 5-10 page report that translates research findings on groundwater risk and governance into practical insights for producers in groundwater-dependent regions
3. By April 2028, host an in-person, facilitated policy roundtable for producers and agricultural water decision-makers to discuss findings and explore alternative strategies for collaborative groundwater management
4. By May 2028, submit at least one peer-reviewed manuscript and present at one academic conference to share project insights on producer perspectives on groundwater governance