Sustainable water storage by agricultural businesses: Strategic responses to institutional pressures

Management of water storage in agriculture is under increasing public scrutiny. In Australia, water is being stored unsustainably by agricultural businesses, putting communities downstream at risk. Yet, sustainable water storage management institutional policy mechanisms remain disjointed around the country. This study seeks to investigate the problem through application of Oliver's (1991) strategic response typology to a survey of 404 agribusiness managers in four different institutional environments. Findings highlight the importance of social aspects of water storage and sharing in agribusiness regions and industries, and suggest that increased manager connectedness could reduce resistance to water storage policy pressures. The results not only provide beneficial guidance for policymakers faced with potentially catastrophic flood and drought conditions exacerbated by poor water storage management practice, but also add support to those found by Clemens and Douglas (2005), indicating the robustness of this theoretical approach for solutions to modern problems faced by business, policymakers and society.