“Don’t Blame the Almonds: The Struggles of Agriculture and Almond Farming in San
Joaquin Valley”
Publication: AgNet West (https://agnetwest.com/ ) and NPR
Audience: fellow almond farmers in California, Almond Board of California (https://www.almonds.com/
), State officials and members of the California Department of Water Resources, and the general public,
organizations or NGOs that support agriculture/farmers (National Young Farmers Collections)
I am an almond farmer practicing large-scale industrial agriculture in the Central Valley, a region
where 25% of the US’s food supply and 80% of the world’s almond supply is produced (Borrell). With
the US population expected to increase to 404 million by 2040, my role in preserving food security has
become absolutely essential. Despite such importance, due to recent severe droughts, farmers are
suffering from lack of surface water sources needed for agriculture. My only choice was to pump more
groundwater to sustain my crops. Demanding farmers like me to adopt new farming practices and reduce
water consumption in these already challenging times is not only prohibitively costly, but also jeopardizes
the survival of the entire almond industry. I, along with many of my fellow farmers, have already decided
to downsize our farms in anticipation of further water shortage.
Central Valley’s agriculture, especially almond farming, must be protected and supported. We
should prioritize maintaining high agricultural production levels for the sake of our economy and food
security. Instead of imposing costly transitions to sustainable farming practices or further reductions to
water usage, I support the following alternatives. State water officials have reduced surface water
allocation to farmers from the State Water Project from 15% to 5% (Kim). Given severe droughts and
rising water prices, this left us with no choice but to rely on groundwater. I propose that more surface
water should be given to agricultural uses or that we diversify our water sources, implementing
technologies such as water recycling. Also, I promise that I, along with other large-scale farmers, donate
a portion of our profits to causes such as securing community water supplies, diversifying water sources,
and supporting climate change research.
We must not ignore the severe economic losses that will result from putting water restrictions on
almond farms. In face of droughts, restrictions on pumping groundwater will inevitably force me to scale
down, or even shut down, my farm. Repercussions would be widespread, affecting local economies and
job markets: almond farms contribute 12.7 billion dollars to California’s economy and have generated
68,050 jobs (Matthews). This means less jobs available, less taxes paid to the government, and thus less
money available for any state-funded projects or welfare programs. The tragedy doesn’t stop here: all
businesses across the supply chain will be negatively impacted.
Orange County Water District’s water management approach exemplifies how a diversified water
portfolio, especially the use of wastewater, can provide stable water supplies. Around 130 million gallons
of wastewater per day is sent to the OCWD’s Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) where it is
treated and purified to meet drinking water standards. The water is then sent back to the basin where it is
reused again and again. I argue that we invest in such water recycling technologies to ensure a resilient,
stable water supply is much more valuable than reducing water allocation to farmers.
Environmental advocates stress the importance of immediate action due to climate change
concerns, especially in water-intensive crops like almonds. However, research suggests that compared to
other foods, almonds have a fairly small carbon footprint (less than 1 kg of CO2 per kg of almonds, where
cheese is more than 10kg and other vegetables are 2kg) (Dennehy). Also, almond orchards capture and
store significant amounts of carbon during their 25 year life cycle, thereby offsetting the already small
emissions that are produced (Dennehy). Furthermore, almond farmers have already made strides in water
efficiency: deficit irrigation techniques reduced water consumption per pound of almonds by 33%
(Cadloff). Therefore, I find no need to go out of my way to adopt sustainable farming practices or
decrease water consumption. If combating climate change is the main goal, wouldn’t regulating other
more energy-heavy crops make more sense?
Sources
*Newfound sources are in red
Borrell, Brendan. “California’s Fertile Valley Is Awash in Air Pollution.” Mother Jones, 10 Dec. 2018,
www.motherjones.com/environment/2018/12/californias-fertile-valley-is-awash-in-air-pollution/.
Cadloff, Emily Baron. “What the Future of Almonds Looks like in a Dry California.” Modern Farmer, 16
June 2022, modernfarmer.com/2022/06/california-almonds-drought-and-sustainability/.
Dennehy, Kevin. “The Other Side of Almonds: A Light Carbon Footprint.” Yale School of the
Environment, 23 July 2015,
environment.yale.edu/news/article/the-other-side-of-almonds-a-light-carbon-footprint.
“How Water Works in OC: OCWD.” Orange County Water District, 7 June 2023,
www.ocwd.com/about/how-water-works-in-oc/#:~:text=The%20Orange%20County%20Water%20Distric
t,rainfall%3B%20and%20imported%20water%20from.
Kim, Yi Hyun, et al. “In California’s Heartland, Small-Time Almond Farmers Face A Dry Future.”
Cartographic Narratives, Columbia GSAPP,
pointsunknown.nyc/final-projects/GSAPP-Spring-2022/Climate-Change/index.html. Accessed 16 Nov.
2023.
Matthews, William A., et al. “Contributions of the California Almond Industry to the California
Economy.” University of California, Agricultural Issues Center, August 2020.
McMahon, Jeff. “Why Agriculture’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Almost Always Underestimated.”
Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 3 Dec. 2019,
www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2019/12/02/5-reasons-agricultures-greenhouse-gas-emissions-are-usu
ally-underestimated/?sh=2889beeb6ac8.
Philpott, Tom. “In California’s Water Wars, Nuts Are Edging out People.” Mother Jones, 22 Sept. 2021,
www.motherjones.com/environment/2021/09/california-san-joaquin-valley-drinking-water-dry-wells-alm
onds-pistachios-groundwater-aquifers/.
Sahagun, Louis. “Wells Dry up, Crops Imperiled, Farm Workers in Limbo as California Drought Grips
San Joaquin Valley.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2021,
www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-04-26/as-drought-deepens-california-growers-see-grim-future
quin.