Read full paper at: http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=53452#.VMWzDSzQrzE Author(s) Ryan Blake Williams 1 , Rashid Al-Hmoud 2 Affiliation(s) 1 Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA . 2 Department of Economics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA . ABSTRACT This paper utilizes the virtual water concept to evaluate water usage of agricultural production in West Texas. This work evaluates the measure of virtual water, as it relates to informing water policy in a semi-arid, agriculture-intensive region, which relies upon a minimally renewable groundwater resource. The results suggest that production in the region reflects a collective effort to capture the highest value from the water resource, consistent with the virtual water philosophy, even in the absence of specific water policy toward that goal. Additionally, this work takes advantage of high reso...
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