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Agriculture is vital to Chaffee County’s economy, heritage, and open lands. It is the fifth-largest economic driver in Chaffee County and accounts for over 25% of all the private land. The county’s agricultural land includes over 16,000 irrigated acres which supports critical and severe winter habitat for elk and mule deer, coincides with the major aquifer recharge zones, and stabilizes seasonal fluctuations in the aquifers. However, there is growing concern about the long term economic viability of agriculture here. The total amount of agricultural land has decreased by 30% since 1982 with land often sold off for its higher value as residential development. With the county population expected to continue to grow this will place even greater pressure on already stressed agricultural operations dealing with issues of:

• maintaining water rights,

• access to and maintenance of ditches and ditch easements,

• the  financial and personal burden of resolving land use conflicts,

• prolonged drought and climate driven changes in hydrology,

• intensifying pressure for “buy and dry” and agriculture water rights conversions.

 

With all these pressures, finding solutions for the long-term viability of agriculture in the Upper Arkansas River Watershed is challenging. The Upper Arkansas Conservation District (UACD) and the Central Colorado Conservancy (CCC) have come together in a collaborative project under the UAWP to create the Agriculture Resilience Project for the purpose of:

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• Strengthening relationships with local agricultural water users to amplify their collective voice,

• Better understanding critical issues and priorities of agricultural producers and large landowners in the valley,

• Identifying mutually-beneficial projects to address needs through a collaborative approach,

• Providing support for agricultural water users through education, future system optimization, and protection of existing water rights.

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Agriculture Needs Assessment & Coordination

One of the first projects of the Agriculture Resilience Project was to conduct an assessment with the agricultural community to identify the key issues, challenges, and opportunities their operations face. The Agriculture Committee then worked together to develop a report to identify priorities for multi-benefit projects to mitigate risk, improve efficiency, and keep agriculture viable in the Upper Arkansas River Watershed.

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Twenty nine area irrigation ditch shareholders were interviewed by the Agriculture Committee, project lead and UAWP coordinator. See some of the Ag Needs Assessment results here. 

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