Integrated Water Management.

Irrigation water management is an integral part of a complete farming system of soil, water, air, plant, animal, and human resources.  The New Mexico Integrated Water Management Handbook, http://www.nm.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/handbooks/iwm/nmiwm.html,
 is intended to be user friendly for use by planners with producers.  NRCS provided training for planners, partners and producers on “how-to” evaluate and understand site-specific field conditions, including chemical, biological and physical. This enables us to evaluate and implement best management practices/approaches for cropland management within an integrated farming system. Considering how the farm fits into broader watershed management (e.g. off-site effects and resource opportunities) is also essential to problem-posing and problem-solving resource management success and development of sustainable communities. 

 The Handbook provides guidance on understanding and improving soil quality, water quantity/quality, air quality, nutrient and salinity management, crop yield and quality, irrigation water management, integrated pest management.  It also provides guidance on reducing overall on-farm energy use, inputs, production costs, pest incidences, pumping costs, as well as soil and water losses.  The end result targets becoming a more economical, sustainable farming enterprise, including resource efficient and resource conserving.

 The key approach to achieving integrated sustainable management is to think system (ecosystem, whole farm, and watershed), think critically (connect the dots), actively seek resource opportunities, emphasize technology “exchange” vs. “transfer” with other producers and partners, plan creatively and flexibly, and focus on keeping energy flow through the integrated system. A reemphasis on biological factors is also necessary since recent agriculture has essentially forgotten biological, but rather focused on chemical and physical factors.  Improving soil quality is key to improving soil, water, air, plant, and animal resources. Case studies, field trials, demonstrations are all important approaches for technology exchange.  Interdisciplinary teams including producers and partners are essential in developing integrated sustainable farming systems.