Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Freshwater scarcity is a threat to food security. Non-conventional water sources including saline/brackish waters, reclaimed municipal wastewater, and urban stormwater can be successfully used to grow high value crops in controlled environment agriculture (CEA). These technologies have the potential to optimize freshwater usage in agriculture. We will study the social impacts (focusing on consumers, growers/producers, and policy-makers) of integrating CEA and non-conventional water treatment technologies by analyzing stakeholder preferences for non-conventional water use and their perceived costs and benefits.The first phase of our study involves identifying suitable high-value crops and establishing water quality parameters necessary for cultivating crops using non-conventional water sources. Subsequently, we will evaluate various treatment technology options for each non-conventional water source to ensure water safety and crop productivity. Using the insight gained from our technological assessment, we will analyze critical metrics such as the unit cost of water produced and crop yield in CEA systems utilizing non-conventional water. We will survey producers and consumers by incorporating this technological data to gauge market responses and preferences. Our study region encompasses nine states in the southeast United States (AR, LA, MS, AL, TN, GA, SC, NC, FL), allowing us to empirically assess how preferences among producers and consumers respond to the introduction of emerging technologies. This research aims to bridge the gap between technological advancements and stakeholder acceptance for promoting non-conventional water in crop production, ultimately paving the way for sustainable agricultural practices amidst freshwater scarcity challenges.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of this project is to study the social impacts (focusing on consumers, growers/producers of agricultural markets) of integrating CEA and non-conventional water treatment technologies through an analysis of stakeholder preferences for non-conventional water use and their perceived costs and benefits. The supporting objectives consist of 1) identifying high-value crops, defining water quality constraints, and assessing treatment technology options for each non-conventional water source, 2) performing producer surveys to probe the impact of technology perception, and 3) conducting consumer surveys to assess consumer preferences and stigma mitigation strategies. The first objective will comprise a technology assessment, from water quality constraints to appropriate crop choices to technology options. The latter two objectives will examine how agricultural markets respond to non-conventional water technologies and contrast consumer and producer welfare using market segmentation.
Project Methods
We will identify the most problematical water quality constituents and, based on a meta-analysis of the literature, estimate 50 and 90-percentile levels for each source using existing national water quality databases for non-conventional sources. We will identify candidate high-value crops for each non-conventional water source based on relevant water quality impacts on crop yield, bioaccumulation, and pathogen transmission for each source. Based on the results of two ongoing projects and reported literature, at least one crop will be selected for each water source. We will summarize existing national and international agricultural water quality criteria and regulations for each source. We will identify and summarize conventional and emerging treatment technologies and their performances for removals of problematical constituents, including product water qualities achievable, for each source. We will identify and quantify relevant metrics for each non-conventional water source, treatment technology (conventional and emerging), and mode of crop cultivation.Our producer surveys will be based on the hypothesis that technological information will reduce the uncertainty in crop production and the environmental impacts of using non-conventional water compared to conventional farming (soil-based/freshwater irrigation). We will process the findings in the preceding objective and select the relevant information for agricultural market analysis. Guided by economic theory, we will design producer surveys by accounting for various production factors such as profits and perceived climate and water risks. The effectiveness of the survey designs will be examined through focus group discussions. We will employ various efforts to distribute our surveys through phone, web, and mixed-mode surveys such as a computer assisted telephone interview (CATI). We will use statistical models to analyze the producer behaviors from the survey and experimental data, and we will analyze implications for food marketing and policy.Our consumer surveys will include questions on consumer preferences for crops grown in CEA and field agriculture with conventional and non-conventional water sources, shopper habits and perceptions, and demographic information. In addition, one survey version will include a stated choice experiment evaluating consumer preferences for fresh tomatoes, and another will include a choice experiment for tomato paste (a processed food). Tomatoes are a moderately salt-tolerant crop that can be grown in the field or CEA, may be consumed raw or cooked, and may be more prone to bioaccumulation of metals in the roots than the fruit (Murtic et al., 2018). Sample size requirements for each sub-group will be established based on gender and additional demographic characteristics following a stratified random sampling method so that various demographic groups are represented in the same proportion by the state as they occur in the population. We will conduct a focus group and develop the mitigating mechanisms of consumer stigma. Econometric models will be developed to identify the factors that significantly contribute to the likelihood of choosing the products presented, given the price and consumers' characteristics. The choice of framework is guided by the fact that the dependent variable (choosing to buy or not) is discrete (binary). Then, the estimated coefficients from the logit models will be used to estimate consumer preferences and willingness to pay (in U.S. dollars and cents) for water source labeling, vegetables grown in field agriculture or CEA with conventional or non-conventional water sources, and the impact of education on the benefits and costs of recycled water. Also, we will summarize the current state of policies regarding non-conventional water sources and provide a summary of implications for marketers and policymakers based on our research findings.