The Effects of the Psycho-Social Need for Security on Irrigation Farmers' Behavior and Cognition Related to Water Resources

• Main Author: Geertsen, Dennis Call
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 1969
• Subjects: Effects; psycho social; need for security; irrigation farmers; behavior; cognition; water resources; Sociology
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4427; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5458&context=etd

The findings of this study indicated, contrary to expectations, that irrigation farmers who expressed needs for water did not engage in certain types of goal-oriented behavior designed to resolve those needs any more so than did those who did not express these needs. There were four measures of goal-orientation which included: Attendance at meetings about the Bear River Project, actively seeking information about said Project and positive attitude toward development of the Bear River. There were significant relationships, however, between expressed water needs and worries over the water supply, the experiencing of human problems related to water use and perceived threats associated with the possibility of losing water. It was discovered that the farmers' belief that surplus water exists in the Bear River was a major factor associated with both their attitude toward development of the Bear River and their perception of benefits of the Project. This would suggest that farmers perceive that development must first be possible by the existence of reserve water in the Bear River. An incidental yet important finding of the study was that a good portion of the farmers who favored some kind of development felt that the Project as planned would be a hindrance to the water situation in their areas.