Since the 1930’s, the number of farms in Alabama has been in decline and the loss of acres in row crop production has been significant.  This loss of row crop agriculture has had a tremendous negative impact in rural areas of the State, especially the Blackbelt.  The decline in the number of farms was likely due to numerous factors but the decline in total acreage since 1950 appears largely due to a lack of competitiveness of Alabama farmers because of prevalent drought losses stemming from the relatively poor water holding soils in the State.

Since 2003, a collaborative research effort involving faculty and staff from several Alabama universities—Auburn University, the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), the University of Alabama, Alabama A&M University, and Tuskegee University—has focused on how Alabama’s abundant water resources can be used responsibly and sustainably to strengthen the state’s rural economy through increased agricultural production. This effort is known as the Alabama Universities Irrigation Initiative (AUII).

The initiative was first launched under the leadership of Dick McNider and John Christy of the Office of the Alabama State Climatologist at UAH; Jim Hairston, Auburn agronomy faculty and water specialist; and Sam Fowler, Director of Auburn’s Water Center. More recently, leaders such as Eve Brantley, now Associate Director of Alabama Extension; Lee Ellenburg, Alabama’s Associate State Climatologist at UAH; and Bill Batchelor, Director of Auburn’s Water Center, along with research and extension faculty across UAH and Auburn, have guided AUII projects in partnership with many state and federal agencies.

The AUII has built strong partnerships with organizations involved in water and agriculture, including the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee (SWCC), Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA), Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (DAI), Alabama Office of Water Resources (OWR), Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

To date, the initiative has secured more than $7 million in federal research grants directly supporting AUII priorities, with an additional $3 million awarded to partners pursuing AUII-inspired projects. With the support of the Alabama Farmers Federation and congressional champions including Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby and Representatives Robert Aderholt and Terry Everett, AUII efforts also helped secure more than $50 million in direct support for farmers to invest in irrigation systems and reservoirs. In addition, with sponsorship from Senator Arthur Orr and other legislators, AUII developed a state tax credit program that has provided over $2 million in tax credits to Alabama farmers for irrigation investments.