Date of Award:

8-2026

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

Committee Chair(s)

Daniella Hirschfeld

Committee

Daniella Hirschfeld

Committee

Carlos Licón

Committee

Matt Yost

Abstract

Water is a growing concern in Utah, especially along the Wasatch Front, where cities, farms, and communities all rely on the same limited water supply. Agriculture uses a large portion of the state’s water, so understanding how farms manage irrigation is important for statewide water planning. Utah currently uses a dataset called Water-Related Land Use (WRLU) to estimate agricultural water use across the state. This dataset provides useful information about irrigated land and crop types. However, it does not capture many of the day-to-day decisions farmers make when managing irrigation.

To better understand irrigation practices, this study surveyed 61 farmers from across northern Utah. The survey provided insight into how farmers irrigate their fields, how they decide when to apply water, and what types of irrigation technologies they are interested in adopting, despite the small sample size. Most farmers reported relying on traditional methods such as water availability, soil moisture by feel, or past experience to determine when to irrigate. Only a few respondents reported using more advanced tools such as soil moisture sensors or weather-based irrigation scheduling.

Even though these advanced technologies were not widely used among respondents, many farmers expressed interest in adopting them in the future. The most common reason farmers had not upgraded their irrigation systems or management tools was the high cost of installing new equipment.

Overall, this study provides a small window into irrigation practices and farmer perspectives in northern Utah. The results show how information collected directly from farmers can help provide insight into irrigation decisions, technology adoption, and barriers to change. Expanding surveys like this across more farms could help improve understanding of agricultural water use and support better water planning while also considering the needs of farmers.

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