Aquafornia points to a piece about California water that has parallels here in New Mexico:

The future for agriculture rests on the availability of water. Plain and simple. Much has been written about the competition for water with the competing interests of farmers pitted against urbanites and food processors vying for water against other “sexier” industries. We’ve all seen it. What I have observed is that for most of this time there has at least been a case made in the public debate about water for the inherent, intrinsic value of agriculture to the community at large. Local officials and state decision makers usually can be counted on to understand the importance of agriculture and its role in the economy.