Replication data for: The Historically Evolving Impact of the Ogallala Aquifer: Agricultural Adaptation to Groundwater and Drought

Agriculture on the American Plains has been constrained historically by water scarcity. Post-WWII technologies enabled farmers over the Ogallala aquifer to extract groundwater for large-scale irrigation. Comparing counties over the Ogallala with nearby similar counties, groundwater access increased agricultural land values and initially reduced the impact of droughts. Over time, land use adjusted toward water intensive crops and drought sensitivity increased. Viewed differently, farmers in nearby water-scarce areas maintained lowervalue drought-resistant practices that fully mitigate naturally higher drought sensitivity. The evolving impact of the Ogallala illustrates the importance of water for agricultural production, but also the large scope for agricultural adaptation to groundwater and drought.

美国大平原地区的农业长期以来一直受水资源短缺的制约。二战后的技术使得奥加拉拉含水层（Ogallala Aquifer）区域的农民能够抽取地下水用于大规模灌溉。通过将奥加拉拉含水层覆盖的县与周边相似县进行对比，可发现地下水获取能力提升了农业用地价值，并在初期缓解了干旱的影响。随着时间推移，土地利用结构向高耗水作物调整，区域对干旱的敏感性反而上升。换个视角来看，周边水资源匮乏地区的农民则一直采用低价值的抗旱耕作方式，这完全抵消了其本就更高的天然干旱敏感性。奥加拉拉含水层影响的动态变化，既彰显了水资源对农业生产的重要性，也体现了农业在应对地下水与干旱问题上的巨大适应空间。