The California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS): Intended and Unanticipated Impacts of Public Investment

Abstract

by Daniel R. CohenVogel , Daniel E. Osgood, Douglas D. Parker, and David Zilberman The public sector has traditionally provided information to agriculture. Concern about government defi cits and scarcity of public resources has led ro increased scrutiny of government programs and reevaluation of publicly provided information. H ere we assess the performance and future of the Cal ifornia Irrigation Management Information Sys tem (CIMIS), a publicly funded program to provide weather information. We identi fY CIMIS users and show that, at leas t in this case, the benefits of CIMIS far outweigh the cos ts. T he program increases productivity and saves water; encourages adoption of modern technologies, such as drip irrigation; has unexpected spillover benefits, affecting users beyond the range of intended benefi ciaries; and has the potential to generate revenue or be priva tized. CIMIS demonstrates how provision of information by the public sector improves effi ciency and benefi ts a variety of users. It provides a model for similar programs elsewhere.