Understanding Irrigator Decision-Making to Design for Drought in the Upper Missouri Headwaters
The rivers of Southwest Montana wind through a patchwork of public and private lands while supporting important biodiversity as well as rural agricultural and recreation economies. Given the competing demands for water are largely socially driven, there is a need to understand the social dimensions shaping water use. This project focuses on understanding irrigators’ decision-making including how and why they make the water decisions they do, particularly in times of drought. Understanding how and why illuminates the driving factors influencing decisions, from experiential, place-based knowledge to individual, economic, socio-cultural, and structural factors that shape water use decisions. One project goal is to use this knowledge to align water management with on-the-ground needs as well as improve acceptance of drought management strategies moving forward. Another project goal is to engage and train undergraduate students at the University of Montana Western in applied social science research and science communication.
Dr. Arica Crootof is an associate professor of environmental sustainability at the University of Montana Western where she works to braid undergraduate education with action-oriented research to benefit local watersheds.