samantha poteet
Estimating the Value of Surface Water in Irrigated Agriculture
Changes in water availability are putting stress on agricultural production and population growth. Like with many unregulated common pool resources, water resources are at risk of becoming over exploited. Sustainable management of water resources is crucial for our society to ensure the water that is available is allocated in the most valuable ways. Understanding the value of surface water for irrigation is important for policy decisions as the American West continues to navigate water management. When taking into consideration the influence of development, population growth, and Monatana's reliance on surface water for irrigation, the need for reliable estimates of the value of water takes on outsize importance in Montana. Therefore, this research will estimate the value of surface water for irrigated agriculture in the American West. The value of water is used in analysis of water infrastructure projects, the allocation of water rights, and understanding the economic impacts of climate change.
Samantha is from Riverside, California and grew up in a community that campaigned for sustainable water use. She received her B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Davis. At Davis, Samantha was able to develop her research interest in water resource management in the American West. Currently, Samantha is a second year M.Sc. student in the Applied Economics program at Montana State University.