FOOD-ENERGY-WATER SUSTAINABILITY IN IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE BY INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY-SYSTEM DYNAMICS MODELING IN THE EASTERN SNAKE PLAIN AQUIFER

The goal of the project is to improve our ability to implement proactive adaptation and water management strategies along with up-to-date data inputs and technology in irrigated agriculture to cope with potential water scarcity. This project will address conjunctive water management to deal with surface water and groundwater interaction and climate uncertainty in the Eastern Snake River Basin (ESRB) not only because it is an ideal Food-Energy-Water System (FEWS) to research in Idaho due to its management complexity but also it is gradually becoming "storage declined" in a changing climate. The proposed approach is to develop a transferable and place-based framework by achieving four research objectives: Obj. 1) address uncertainties associated with future climate variability to better represent local hydroclimate characteristics using remote-sensing technology; Obj. 2) characterize dynamic relationships between nature-driven biophysical processes and human-induced adaptation for FEWS, where economic development and opportunities for land use change depend on critical natural resources and legal constraints; Obj. 3) improve the existing objective-oriented, problem-solving technique to facilitate knowledge exchange for water management decisions and policy making; and Obj. 4) disseminate and share scientific advances and findings for local stakeholders and the public through publication and outreach activities.