Meggan Franks, Stacia L. Davis Conger, Carol Friedland, Robert Rohli, April Divine, Andrew Garcia, Shifat Mithila and Md Adilur Rahim

Louisiana is one of the most vulnerable U.S. states to extreme weather events due to its high frequency of natural disasters. Of these disasters, drought is the most expensive risk to Louisiana agriculture, accounting for 95% of projected crop losses by 2050.

Shifts toward more frequent and intense drought would increase the need for supplemental irrigation when aquifer withdrawals, the primary water source for agriculture, already exceed recharge rates. Further, unsustainable pumping rates can cause wells to run dry. It can also lead to higher pumping costs, soil subsidence and higher salt content that can impact crop yields.

The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVAA) supports agricultural irrigation in the Lower Mississippi River Basin, which includes the Louisiana Delta and ranks second among aquifers for water use in the country with an average of 12,100 MGD (million gallons per day). Combined with the onset of drought conditions in 2022, Louisiana is an excellent location to develop and launch a drought-focused hazard mitigation tool for scheduling irrigation.

With concerns about the sustainability of water supplies in mind, LSU AgCenter researchers actively worked to secure critical funding to develop an irrigation decision-making app and outreach campaign aimed at helping farmers mitigate drought risks in an environmentally and economically responsible way.

Through a specialized U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) grant program dedicated to rapidly responding to extreme weather events, funding was obtained to convert an already developed and tested irrigation scheduling spreadsheet into a convenient web tool accessible on any internet-enabled device. Thus, DIRT, the Drought Irrigation Response Tool, was created.

The envisioned outcomes of DIRT are ambitious yet essential: widespread adoption of more efficient irrigation techniques, which will lead to a reduction in the utilization of finite water resources and contribute to a more sustainable water supply and a decrease in future drought risks. Combined with an aggressive outreach campaign, the long-term goal of this project is to inspire behavioral change in overall water consumption across increasing drought risk scenarios to enhance regional environmental sustainability.

As droughts become more frequent and severe, our collective actions matter. Developing, strengthening and sustaining relationships within the agricultural community is vital to achieving lasting community impact.

Community-Engaged Program Development: A Collaborative Approach

The traditional model of extension often emphasizes outreach between an educational institution and the public. However, a more dynamic and effective approach emerges when we shift from outreach to community engagement. This collaborative method involves partnering with key stakeholders, including farmers, to address societal needs comprehensively. The essence of community engagement lies in reciprocity. It allows stakeholders — farmers, researchers and/or educators — to become co-creators of knowledge, programs, research and scholarship. By actively involving key stakeholders, such as farmers, we can tailor our efforts to better meet the diverse needs of communities worldwide.

Recognizing the significance of community engagement, the Carnegie Foundation introduced a classification and partnership framework. Designed to deepen service practices and strengthen bonds between universities and their surrounding communities, this framework serves as the future of university-community engagement.

The DIRT project team embraced this framework wholeheartedly. Throughout the project's development, they actively sought feedback from stakeholders, including farmers and producers, whose voices became integral to the team’s decision-making process.

The community-engaged approach involved ongoing focus groups and virtual and in-person interviews throughout the project's development. These gatherings spanned various locations, capturing input from farmers and end-users. During each session, AgCenter researchers outlined the project's goals and continued progress, setting the context for fruitful discussions. Project team members diligently recorded and transcribed each session and synthesized responses to comprehensively summarize farmer and producer feedback. Within its pages lay actionable requests directed toward the development team. These requests would shape the project's implementation. Further, farmers completed pre- and postmeeting reflections that captured additional insights and assessed the integration of community voice, collaboration and reciprocity.

In agricultural research and extension, community engagement is pivotal in shaping effective programs and fostering collaborative relationships. By actively involving farmers and key stakeholders in project development, we aimed to create a program that addresses community needs and fosters stronger partnerships. In closing, this initiative exemplifies how technology and strategic partnerships can address critical challenges, ensuring a sustainable future for Louisiana’s agricultural community.

Meggan Franks is the manager of reporting and program impact for the LSU AgCenter. Stacia L. Davis Conger is an assistant professor at the AgCenter Red River Research Station. Carol Friedland is the director of LaHouse Resource Center. Robert Rohli is a professor in the LSU Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences. April Divine is an extension associate at LaHouse. Andrew Garcia is the assistant director of application development for the AgCenter. Shifat Mithila is a postdoctoral researcher at LaHouse. Md Adilur Rahim is an assistant professor of research at LaHouse.

This article appeared in the spring 2024 edition of Louisiana Agriculture.

Furrow irrigation is a common form of crop irrigation in much of Louisiana. AgCenter file photo