Ranchers Adapting to Climate Variability in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Utah

• Main Author: Akbar, Hadia
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 2020
• Subjects: climate variability; agriculture; climate adaptation; Colorado river basin; Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7706; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8841&context=etd

Changes in climate influence agricultural production. This study looks at the impacts of climate variability in the Utah regions of the Upper Colorado River Basin by combining regression techniques with interview data to explore how climate variability affects agricultural production and how the farmers are adapting their practices to these changes. The results show that climate does not have any significant impact on cattle and hay production in the study area on a decadal scale. However, on an annual basis temperature seems to have more impact than precipitation. Among non-climatic variables, commodity prices and their regulations by the government are the most important factors that influence the year-to-year production. Farmers are well-aware of these impacts and have adapted significantly to the changes that occur on a year-to-year basis.