California has suffered increasing problems due to drought. Most recently, the federal water supply for irrigation has been cut off. This negatively impacts not only farmers, but everyone who relies on California for fresh fruits and vegetables. The water deficit promises more trouble to come.
California farms lose main water source to drought
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California’s main source of irrigation water is expected to go dry this year for most of its growers due to drought, idling at least 60,000 workers and up to 1 million acres of farmland, federal officials and experts said on Friday.
The zero allocation for most of the farmers who buy water from the federally managed Central Valley Project was declared as California water officials repeated their plans to cut amounts supplied from a separate state-run water system to 15 percent of normal.
In the absence of water, many farmers are planting fewer crops on less territory. This will put even more people out of work, at a time of scarce jobs and rising food prices.
Shrinking Water Supplies Imperil Farmers
MENDOTA, Calif. — Dwindling water supplies are compounding economic woes in California’s Central Valley, causing farmers to leave fields fallow and confront the prospect of going under.
The cutbacks hit big and small farmers in California’s $20-billion-a-year agriculture industry. At the Harris Farms near Coalinga, managers said they plan this year to sideline 9,000 of 11,000 acres they used to plant with tomatoes, onions, broccoli and other vegetables. Harris has been reducing production for two years because of declining water, and now must cut even more than planned. “You feel like a general in a battle,” said John Harris, chairman and chief executive of the business. “You’re in constant retreat.”
The Root of the Matter
This all comes down to one thing: California uses more water than nature provides to it. There are too many people for the carrying capacity of local aquifers and rivers. Farmers plant water-hungry crops that demand massive irrigation. Then when drought strikes, it leads to economic collapse of farms, sometimes whole communities reliant on agriculture — not to mention the civic unrest of an unreliable water supply.
Overuse of available water is a serious problem, growing worse as climate change leads to more drought. The Water Scarcity Index reveals which areas have the highest exploitation of water sources. Note the vast expanse of dark red “overexploited” regions. Throughout history, overuse of water has led to tragedy.
What You Can Do
Buy food from places that require less irrigation. If possible, join a community supported agriculture project and/or shop at your local farmer’s market.
Grow as much of your own food as you can. I’ve listed some garden catalogs to help with that.
Practice and promote xericulture, permaculture, and other sustainable methods of agriculture and landscaping.
Encourage farming of crops appropriate to the region’s water supply. Shop for foods that require minimal water to grow such as olives, figs, lemons, and dates; rather than those requiring massive irrigation such as tomatoes, corn, and lettuce. Watch for agriculture featuring new fruits native to arid regions.
Observe what happens in other countries as water dwindles. Spain currently faces serious challenges due to irrigation demands; some of its farmers are responding by switching to traditional crops that need less water.
If you live in a densely populated, water-poor region and you are not deeply attached to it — consider moving elsewhere. The greenest cities tend to be careful with their water supplies and offer excellent living conditions.
For more ideas on coping with desertification, see my previous essay on The Wordsmith’s Forge.
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Barbara Swafford 02.23.09 at 1:15 am
Hi Elizabeth - It saddens me to hear stories like this as I always try to buy fresh produce that’s grown in the US. California has always been a big supplier of fresh fruits and vegetable, and now with the water shortage, inventories will see a huge reduction.
I keep thinking how great it would be if there was a way to use ocean water for crops (and other purposes, too).
The ideas you’ve shared in this post are fabulous. I especially like the idea of shopping at local farmer’s markets.
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Elizabeth Barrette Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:38 am
“Hi Elizabeth - It saddens me to hear stories like this as I always try to buy fresh produce that’s grown in the US. California has always been a big supplier of fresh fruits and vegetable, and now with the water shortage, inventories will see a huge reduction.”
Actually, California has only become a major supplier of fresh produce in recent decades, after widespread irrigation and population booms. It used to be largely left alone because much of it is desert or near-desert. That kind of territory doesn’t really make good farmland, and this is a demonstration of why: anything outside a region’s own carrying capacity creates vulnerability. That’s a hardship when the supply crashes. I’ll miss the fresh produce from California, but we really should be growing that stuff in more appropriate places.”
I keep thinking how great it would be if there was a way to use ocean water for crops (and other purposes, too).”
There are a couple of options for that: 1) desalination and 2) salt-tolerant crops. Recent innovations have offered promise for desalination. Plus, that produces salt, and some solar-thermal plants are now using molten salt to store energy from the sun. If that runs up the demand for salt, well, it’s easy to get out of seawater, and then you have fresh water too.
Salt-tolerant crops are more challenging because there’s a limit to how far they can go. But some things, like beach plums, will grow right next to an ocean. You could probably develop a beach plum that could be irrigated with brackish water. The fruit quality varies from poor to quite good; with careful selection, it wouldn’t be hard to get decent fruit. But beach plums aren’t a commercial crop — you have to get them from conservation nurseries. Go figure. I’ve got some of the “purple-leaf sand cherry” variety and they’re just lovely. I don’t live near an ocean, just bought them because they’re cheap and they can survive harsh conditions. I have one that survived getting mowed!
“The ideas you’ve shared in this post are fabulous. I especially like the idea of shopping at local farmer’s markets.”
Thank you! Local agriculture can use all the support it can get. Truck gardens, U-Pick farms, farmer’s market providers, community supported agriculture — it all grows in response to consumer demand. Local produce is better for you because it’s fresher, and it spreads out our food supply so a problem in one place doesn’t whelm the whole country. We like to visit a big farmer’s market up in Champaign. Once that gets going this summer, I’ll probably do a post on farmer’s markets.
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Lara 02.24.09 at 10:45 pm
I agree with your advice on moving out of areas without their own water source. I lived in Southern California for a couple years and the ammount of water they waste, such as watering plants on the side of the highway, really makes me angry and concerned. They do not have water, yet they waste it on the side of the highway. I have since moved back east and feel much more secure with my water supply.
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Elizabeth Barrette Reply:
February 24th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I believe that when a resource is extremely scarce, it should first be used for necessities, and then if there is any left, for less important things, and finally for luxuries. I think it is wrong to overuse the available water in an area and then waste so much of it.It was very good of you to move back east. As the water level continues to drop, people will be forced to move. When those who aren’t strongly attached to the area move out, they save themselves the expense and stress of dealing with the water shortages — and leave room for people who *are* strongly attached.
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