A Spatial Analysis of Irrigation Technology

The nature of spatial spillovers in the adoption of irrigation technology is examined in this paper. Adopting a new technology is a decision that is based on economic and individual-specific factors. One of these individual factors might be communication with other users. It makes sense to expect that contact between users and non-users would follow a spatial pattern, and if knowledge spillovers are important to the adoption decision then resource managers need to be aware of their existence. Using counties in the Texas High Plains as the study area, the adoption of center pivot technology is examined using both Ordinary Least Squares and spatial regression models to determine if knowledge spillovers exist. Ultimately, no evidence was found that adoption practices in a county affects its neighbors; however, geographic location does matter to who adopts and when.