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It's a globally exported crop that's worth billions every year in direct sales. There's quite a bit of local economic activity that's tied to this production.
by akira2501 4y ago
It's a globally exported crop that's worth billions every year in direct sales. There's quite a bit of local economic activity that's tied to this production. You can stop it, the way you'd stop any export, tax it until it is no longer profitable to sell. You may get much more than you bargained for, though.
- BurningFrog 4y agoThe underlying problem is that what you pay for water in California differs by many orders of magnitude depending on historical accident, and many almond farmers pay next to nothing. A reform with a unifor water price would solve most of California's water issues. But I don't foresee that happening.
- mikeg8 4y agoI’m a little confused by this comment. Agriculture, including the almond growers, only pay for the cost to permit, construct, and maintain a well, as well as electricity for the pump which is almost negligible. Municipalities may have a water provider with a per gallon price. And finally, a very small few rely on rain water collection. Having a “uniform water price” would never be possible, and even if it was, I am very skeptical it would “solve most of California’s water issues”.
- BurningFrog 4y agoGround water usage is a separate problem, but I'm confident (without looking it up) that surface water (rivers & reservoirs) is the dominating source of farming water.