The Arizona Agriculture Water Summit, an event that brought together over 60 representatives from the farming, ranching and agriculture industry, wrapped up today in Glendale, Arizona. Several staff members from Western Growers participated in the event, the purpose of which was threefold: 1) to provide a forum for conversation about agricultural water users in Arizona; 2) to present the outcome of research and polls conducted on attitudes of Arizona voters on water issues; and 3) to spark future dialogue and coalition building.
During the event, Public Opinion Strategies presented the results of a poll that was conducted among 600 likely Arizona voters. The results show that “Arizona voters clearly understand the relationship between water, food and the farm and ranch families who produce it,” with two-thirds of Arizona voters approving how Arizona farm and ranch families are managing the water resources they use to grow food.
Other findings show:
- 85 percent of Arizona’s voters are concerned about the availability of water for Arizona’s farms and ranches. Only 14 percent are not concerned.
- When survey respondents were presented with solutions to these concerns, they selected “Spending more tax dollars to build water storage dams and pipelines” by a 73 to 23 percent margin.
- Moving water from Arizona’s farms and ranches is opposed by 63 percent of Arizona’s voters and only supported by 27 percent.
For more information, contact WGs’ AnnaMarie Knorr at (602) 266-6149.