Overall Objective:

To increase water use efficiency and reduce water consumption while maintaining adequate and sustainable water supplies for urban and agricultural users in Florida. The emphasis of this major program is on promoting the most efficient water use in agriculture, landscape, and urban settings. The program is directed towards urban and agricultural audiences. The rational is that efficient water use in one sector may increase water availability for other sectors without increasing the total amounts presently used.

Target Clientele:

These include the general public, community groups, community leaders, farmers and growers, livestock and poultry producers, professional managers of agricultural systems, the service industry, and state and federal agencies.

Impact:

The use of more efficient irrigation technologies and instruments for irrigation scheduling increases overall water use efficiency for agricultural and landscape uses. As a result, more water becomes available for other sectors such as the growing urban sector and protected natural areas. Efficient water use in homes and landscape, promotion of water-use efficient landscape plants, and increasing the awareness of water users in all sectors can make this natural resource go much further for the entire state.

For example, recent research at the University of Florida shows that newly developed prototypes for container nursery production systems can result in an approximately 80-90% water savings as compared with traditional overhead irrigation systems. With increasing numbers of container nurseries in the state, these savings are significant. Currently, there is no charge for agricultural water in the state of Florida. Therefore the main savings would come in the form of energy for water pumping as well as the social benefits of additional water available for transfers.

The increase of water use efficiency in various sectors in Florida will assure more sustainable development for the state. Shifting water use from one sector to the other may be necessary in the future. Efficient use will assure that the agricultural sector coexists with the growing urban sector without the destruction of wetlands or other natural ecosystems in Florida.

Evaluation:

1. Conventional measurements of activity will be obtained (audience and numbers).
2. Pre and post-tests will be administered during all educational events.
3. Where possible, assessments of impacts on water use reduction will be made (using tools such as the mobile irrigation laboratory).
   
   
   

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