Bell County Small Farmers Perceptions of Texas Water Policy

Here's a summary of my thesis plan. I'm pretty excited, the survey's should go out this week since I finally got a list of farmers and IRB approval from UT. Wooohoo!

Research Proposal

Water scarcity in Texas is quickly becoming a priority for academic study, public policy and citizen interest. A combination of increasing water needs due to larger urban populations along with the shifting environmental climate and droughts have pushed this issue to the fore front of many fields. There are some disagreements over the hydrological aspects of the scarcity, but most of the heated debates have been over public policy. Water users in Texas potentially face a cut back in their allotted water share, through government restriction, and for commercial consumers such as agriculture this can mean huge monetary losses.

The objective of my study is to survey small farmers in the Bell County area to find out how they perceive policy surrounding the water scarcity problem. I would like to know whose interests these farmers feel are being best represented by current legislation and general water rights. I will use a list of small farmers in Bell County provided by Texas Farmers Bureau from which to select a sample which will receive my survey. The survey will include a mix of multiple choice questions and open ended questions in which recipients will be able to elaborate on their answers.