According to Webster's dictionary, agriculture is defined as the science, art, or practice of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock, and to various levels, preparation and marketing of the resulting products. In essence, agriculture is a key element of a prosperous and sustainable community for the seven billion inhabitants of our planet Earth. A key resource to keep much-needed agriculture alive is the Colorado River. From its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California in Mexico, the Colorado River stretches more than 1,400 miles in its entirety. Including the river, the Colorado River basin covers more than 256,000 square miles across the southwestern United States, providing valuable support to a large number of systems (Cohen et al. V). This critical resource supports more than thirty million people, four million acres of agricultural land, seven states, the two largest reservoirs in the United States, and the largest irrigation canal in the world (Water Uses). Although agriculture is still by far the largest user of water in Colorado, more than ninety percent of the rangeland and cropland within the Colorado River Basin receives water from the Colorado River as a supplement to support growth ( Cohen et al. V). With this incredible amount of water comes a big concern: are these water use practices sustainable over a longer period of time? If not, how can we combat the lasting effects of unsustainable water use? Agriculture and irrigation have long been part of the Colorado River Basin and the Desert Southwest. Irrigation is the artificial supply of water to the land, an integral part of the Colorado River and its basin. More than 1,500 years ago, the Hohokam irrigated more than 200,000... half of paper ......g The Colorado River will require congressional action. Np, nd Web. 14 April 2014. .McChesney, John. “Colorado River Crisis: Do Farmers Have the Water to Fix It?” Colorado River Crisis: Do Farmers Have the Water to Fix It? Np, nd Web. 14 April 2014. .N/A. Colorado River. Nd Wyofile, Glen Canyon. Slow Disaster: Shrinking Colorado River Will Require Congressional Action - See more at: http://wyofile.com/amack/slow-disaster-dwindling-colorado-river-will-demand-congressional-action/#sthash .OjfNgNQl.dpuf. Network. April 14, 2014.N/A. Colorado River Basin. Nd Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, N/A. Map of the Colorado River Basin. Network. April 14. 2014.