How Thousands of Small Farms Collectively Shape Water Demand in a Water-Stressed Region

As climate change intensifies drought conditions across the Southwest, researchers at The University of New Mexico are examining how agricultural water is used in one of New Mexico's most critical river systems.

A new study led by Tosin Olofinsao, Ph.D., in the Department of Economics, alongside mentors Associate Professor Jingjing Wang and Regents Professor Robert Berrens, explores how irrigated agriculture consumes water across different categories of farms in the Middle Rio Grande Basin.

The research, published in the journal Sustainability, provides new insight into how water is distributed among small farms and large commercial operations, offering data that could help shape future water management and conservation strategies in dryland regions.

"Agricultural water use in the Middle Rio Grande Basin is shaped not just by a few large farms, but by the combined decisions of thousands of small irrigators," Olofinsao said. "Lasting water solutions will require policies that recognize both the hydrologic realities of water scarcity and the social realities of farming communities in dryland regions."

The study comes at a time when New Mexico and other arid regions face growing pressure from climate variability, shrinking water supplies, and increasing competition between agricultural, urban, and environmental water needs.