Open AccessWater, energy, and farm production
Author(s) -
Carlos A. Ulibarrí,
H.S. Seely,
David B. Willis,
Donald Anderson
Publication year - 1996
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/236268
Subject(s) - production (economics) , irrigation , agricultural economics , deregulation , agriculture , business , farm income , economics , water resource management , agricultural science , natural resource economics , environmental science , geography , ecology , archaeology , biology , macroeconomics
Electric utility rate deregulation can have disproportionate impacts on water-intensive crops, which have historically relied upon pressurized irrigation technologies and surface water resources. Based on a case study of agricultural growers in southern California, the paper models the impacts of utility rates considered in the Western Area Power Administration`s Sierra Nevada Customer Service Region. The study was performed as part of the 2004 Power Marketing Program Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The empirical results reflect linear-programming estimates of the income transfers from growers to energy providers based on county-wide coverage of 13 junior and senior irrigation districts and short-run production possibilities of 11 irrigated crops. Transfers of income from growers to energy suppliers occur through their losses in producer surplus