How does water price affect irrigation technology adoption?

Abstract

The use of water price or best management practices have been advocated by some commentators to induce adoption of low-volume irrigation technologies and to encourage water use efficiency. However, the method of water application is only one of many inputs and constraints in agricultural production. California's highly diverse topography, soil types and variety of crops influence irrigation technology choices, therefore a policy mandating adoption of modern technologies is likely to have undesirable impacts. Crop type appears to be a major consideration in technology choice, as some technologies may be incompatible with some types of crops.