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Environmental group urges California to limit the growing of almonds and alfalfa
- jelliclesfarm 4y agoThirsty and mostly exported, we are essentially exporting water at cheap prices during a drought here in California. It is insane..utter madness. Big Ag has become the albatross on California in more ways than one. [..] Authors of the report found that expanded acreage for nut crops like almonds and pistachios used 520 billion gallons more water in 2021 than in 2017, indicating that expansion is happening despite tightened water supplies. That’s enough to supply more than 34 million people, or nearly 90% of California’s population, for a year, the report said. The Food and Water Watch report also found that alfalfa uses an average of 945 billion gallons of water annually, and that mega-dairies consume more than 142 million gallons per day to maintain their cows, while oil and gas companies spent 3 billion gallons between 2018 and 2021 for drilling operations.[..]