Water, culture, and adaptation in the High Plains-Ogallala Aquifer region

We investigate how the physical water environment shapes water conservation norms among farmers in the High Plains-Ogallala Aquifer, the largest source of groundwater in the United States. We approach these questions in terms of cultural adaptation to the physical environment, comparing irrigators with dryland farmers using survey and environmental data. We use the values-beliefs-norms (VBN) framework to develop a conceptual model to integrate the physical water context as an exogenous explanation of water conservation norms. Grouped simultaneous equations models indicate a limited form of cultural adaptation in the region that, from a biological perspective, could be considered evidence of mal-adaptation. Both irrigators and dryland operators in more water-rich environments hold stronger water conservation norms and those in more arid environments hold weaker water conservation norms. For irrigators, the relationship between the water context and norms is partially mediated by worldviews: irrigators in more water scarce contexts tend to hold more ecocentric worldviews that motivate conservation. The findings suggest the importance of considering farmers’ practices (dryland farming or irrigation) and their places (physical water context) in shaping their decision-making in an integrated socio-ecological context.