Saving water in farming : methodology for water conservation verification efforts in the agricultural sector
| dc.contributor.advisor | Eaton, David J. | |
| dc.creator | Ramirez Huerta, Ana Karina | en |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2014-07-14T19:02:10Z | en |
| dc.date.issued | 2013-05 | en |
| dc.date.submitted | May 2013 | en |
| dc.date.updated | 2014-07-14T19:02:10Z | en |
| dc.description | text | en |
| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation develops, tests and validates statistical methods for verifying the amount of water conserved as a result of investments in precision leveling, other on-farm conservation measures in place, weather variation and farmer behavior. This evaluation uses a sample of 328 unique fields from Lakeside Irrigation Division in Texas over a six-year period, totaling 966 observations. Results show that precision leveling accounts for a 0.30 acre-feet reduction of irrigation water per acre leveled. This Mixed-Level Model (MLM) estimate for precision leveling water savings is more precise than the estimates either from an Ordinary Least Square Model or a Fixed Effect Model. A meta analysis combines the results from this model with other similar studies. Although the mean estimate of the meta-analysis is similar to the MLM estimate, the meta-analysis further reduces the standard error of the mean precision leveling estimate by 2 percent. A better approximation of the acre-feet water savings per acre farmed translates into less uncertainty for water regulators, managers and policymakers regarding the volume of conserved water that is available for transfer. | en |
| dc.description.department | Public Policy | en |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2152/25168 | en |
| dc.subject | Water conservation | en |
| dc.subject | Water policy | en |
| dc.subject | Water transfers | en |
| dc.subject | Irrigation technology | en |
| dc.subject | Precision leveling | en |
| dc.subject | Land leveling | en |
| dc.title | Saving water in farming : methodology for water conservation verification efforts in the agricultural sector | en |
| dc.type | Thesis | en |
| thesis.degree.department | Public Policy | en |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Public Policy | en |
| thesis.degree.grantor | The University of Texas at Austin | en |
| thesis.degree.level | Doctoral | en |
| thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Philosophy | en |