Growing food with sustainable sources of water: Conversions to arid land agroecosystems by Arizonan farmers

Farmers in Arizona use significant amounts of groundwater for commercial agriculture. Small and mid-scale diversified farms still rely on these unsustainable water sources even as they attempt to create sustainable farming systems in arid lands. This paper explores how small and mid-scale farmers in Arizona convert their farming practices to conserve and use more sustainable sources of water. To answer this question, I interviewed nine Arizonan farmers who grow diversified vegetables on 15 acres or less using primarily groundwater from wells. I asked these farmers if they made any conversion involving water management techniques on their land and if those conversions reduced overall water use. I then designate which level of conversion these on-farm changes represent according to the four levels of conversion to an agroecosystem defined by Gliessman (2013).;Analyzing these conversions of water management practices on farms, I identify innovative ways that these farmers attempt to move away from the use of groundwater and instead use rainwater catchment either in cisterns or in the soil. These research findings lead to a discussion about the distinction between conserving water and making better use of rainwater in commercial agriculture. Ethnographic interviews serve to provide examples of these innovative techniques.;To conclude, I discuss how these innovations enable farmers to redesign their food production systems to be more aligned with natural hydrological cycles, which allow for efforts of ecological restoration to occur on farms in concert with food production. Further, I explore how using more local sources of water can shift the agricultural paradigm to be less influenced by the market and more by ecological services. I provide recommendations about how to design arid land farming systems to use more sustainable sources of water as shown from the findings. I also recommend ways to connect farmers with consumers interested in supporting farms using alternative water management techniques.