Survey of Irrigation Methods in California in 2010

Reliable information on irrigation methods is important for determining agricultural water demand trends. The authors have therefore conducted a study over the course of 2011 to collect information on the irrigation methods that were used by growers to irrigate their crops in 2010. The results were compared with earlier surveys to assess trends in cropping and irrigation methods. A one-page questionnaire was developed to collect information on irrigated land by crop and irrigation method. The questionnaire was mailed to 10,000 growers in California who were randomly selected from a list of 58,000 growers by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, excluding rice, dry land, and livestock producers. From 1972–2010, the planted area has increased from 15 to 30% for orchards and from 6 to 15% for vineyards. The area planted with vegetables has remained relatively static, whereas that planted to field crops has declined from 67 to 41% of the irrigated area. The land irrigated with low-volume (drip and micro-sprinkler) irrigation has increased by approximately 38%, whereas the amount of land irrigated by surface methods has decreased by approximately 37%.