Exploring "Deep Roots": Politics of Place and Groundwater Management Practices in the Pajaro Valley, California

Groundwater is one of the most critical natural resources in an era of climate change, yet groundwater depletion is extensive in many parts of the world. The Pajaro Valley, an agricultural region in Central California, exemplifies the common challenges to sustainably manage a groundwater basin. This...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Society & natural resources 2018-03, Vol.31 (3), p.291-305
Main Authors: Rudestam, Kirsten, Brown, Abigail, Langridge, Ruth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural economics
Agricultural management
Climate change
Community-based resource management
Depletion
Economics
environmental attitudes and concerns
environmental sociology
Ethnography
Groundwater
Groundwater basins
Groundwater depletion
Groundwater management
Identity
Meaning
Natural resources
Political economy
Political power
Politics
Power
Sustainability
Valleys
water resources policy and management
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Groundwater is one of the most critical natural resources in an era of climate change, yet groundwater depletion is extensive in many parts of the world. The Pajaro Valley, an agricultural region in Central California, exemplifies the common challenges to sustainably manage a groundwater basin. This article draws on materialist conceptions of power and political economy, and humanist conceptions of place identity and dependence, to illuminate how both can influence groundwater management practices. Through ethnographic observation and interviews with self-identified groundwater users, we find that social character, economic interactions, and dominant understandings of culture and community all work together to define personal and collective meanings of and attachments to place. We suggest that using a "politics of place" approach can provide a deeper understanding of why particular groundwater management practices occur, and that this can aid in shaping future sustainability efforts.
ISSN:0894-1920
1521-0723
DOI:10.1080/08941920.2017.1413693