Dataset from: Variation in patterns of production and water-use efficiency among agroecosystems across the LTAR Network

Across agroecosystems, water is a key driver of primary production, and thus, the relationship between water and production (i.e., water-use efficiency; WUE) provides a relevant indicator for evaluating agroecosystem function. These data were used to characterize this relationship spanning diverse agroecosystems and climates represented by the USDA’s Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network. This dataset contains precipitation and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) across an extensive set of rainfed production systems and climate conditions, including rangelands, croplands, and pasturelands that span a precipitation gradient of 265-1347 mm yr^-1. Data include long-term ANPP data from fifteen LTAR sites collected between 1983 and 2022, with record lengths ranging from 5 to 38 years, and corresponding annual precipitation amounts. These long-term data serve as an important resource for understanding how shifts in water availability with climate change may impact the ability of agricultural lands to produce the resources needed to support a growing human population.