Stakeholders

Because water is necessary for life, all living things are stakeholders in this technology assessment in the broadest possible sense. For the purposes of this report, stakeholders are classified into groups that can be expected to share similar goals regarding agricultural water resource policies. The rights-holders most directly affected by the issues examined in this report are:

• Agricultural producers and related industries - Farmers and the industries who supply farm-related products are primary stakeholders. Producers directly influence water resources through agricultural withdrawal, use, and discharge.
• Municipal water users - The second-largest water demand after agriculture is municipalities. Clean drinking water is distributed to residences as well as industrial operations. Municipalities often compete directly with agriculture in water-scarce regions.
• Federal, state, and local government - Water resources are managed by a variety of governmental agencies. Because water is a resource crucial to national security, the government is a central stakeholder. Laws respecting water are passed at all levels of government, with corresponding jurisdictions of enforcement.
• Indigenous groups - Treaty agreements allocate water rights to indigenous groups across the country. In some regions these stakeholders have been under pressure from agriculture and municipalities to relinquish their claims.
• Environmental advocacy groups - Water quality and quantity issues related to agriculture have wide-ranging impacts on the environment. Individuals seeking to protect the environment constitute a stakeholder group that regularly participates in the formulation of U.S. policy.
• U.S. trade partners - As an importer and exporter of products on the world market, changes in the cost or quantity of production of agricultural goods in the United States will affect other nations.