Promoting efficient water management through effective outreach education in the High Plains and beyond: Role of the Ogallala Aquifer Program
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The Ogallala Aquifer Program (OAP) is a consortium between the USDA Agricultural Research Service and partnering universities in Texas and Kansas. The OAP has coordinated and leveraged highly effective irrigation research and extension programs with overarching goals to prolong the life of the Ogallala Aquifer and enhance rural economies in the US Southern High Plains. The OAP has increased capability of research and extension programs to address local and regional issues more collaboratively and comprehensively, generating national and international recognition. Stakeholders include agricultural producers; irrigation practitioners; crop and technical advisers; educators; off-farm decision makers; water resource planners/managers, in particular; and the general public. Stakeholders possess wide ranges of specific interests, technical understanding, and information delivery preferences. This paper describes how educational events, research and extension publications and products, media outreach, and mentoring are used to meet stakeholder information needs and promote basic and applied research programs in the High Plains.