3 ms·

I've heard that about almonds, too (that they consume A LOT of water), and even worse: California farms pivoted to growing almonds, not because they're essentia

I've heard that about almonds, too (that they consume A LOT of water), and even worse: California farms pivoted to growing almonds, not because they're essential food, but because they sell a lot in China, and they're highly profitable. Furthermore, California farms have used the drought as an excuse to raise prices on almonds (that they ship to the Chinese market) and increase profits even more, even though their price of water hasn't changed. This has created a circle of increased water consumption, driven by profits, not the desire to feed the people. I'm definitely not an expert here. Please correct me if this is all BS.

myshpa 3y ago
> not because they're essential food They are essential, ask any vegan :) > but because they sell a lot in China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almonds_in_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almonds_in_California "Farmers exported $4.5 billion worth to foreign countries in 2016, about 22% of the state's total agricultural exports. The majority of these exports went to the European Union [37%], China [8%] and India [15%]. While the EU is the largest consumer, the latter two countries are expanding markets ...". Canada, Japan and UAE have 6% each. > created a circle of increased water consumption https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23655640/colorado-river-water-alfalfa-dairy-beef-meat https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23655640/colorado-river-wa... 1_049_555 million gallons ... beef, dairy __125_218 million_gallons ... soy, rice, almonds, potatoes https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/12/colorado-drought-water-alfalfa-farmers-conservation https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/12/colorado... "Agriculture – mainly alfalfa – consumes 80% of the Colorado River’s dwindling water supply ... One out of every three farmed acres in the valley is dedicated to growing alfalfa ... used as food for livestock." "In 2021, nearly 20% of alfalfa produced in the west was shipped abroad." https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23655640/colorado-river-water-alfalfa-dairy-beef-meat https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23655640/colorado-river-wa... "The Colorado River is going dry ... to feed cows." "That means altering the demand side of the water supply-demand equation and shifting diets globally to foods that use less H2O, which ultimately means less meat and dairy, as well as fewer water-intensive tree nuts like almonds, pistachios, and cashews (nut milks, however, require much less water to produce than cow’s milk)." https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/the-other-side-of-almonds-a-light-carbon-footprint https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/the-other-side-of-... "1 kilogram of almonds produces less than 1 kilogram of carbon emissions. (For comparison, the Environmental Working Group estimated that beef causes more than 20 kilograms of CO2-eq emissions, cheese more than 10, and beans and vegetables around 2.)" https://foodrevolution.org/blog/almonds-sustainability/ https://foodrevolution.org/blog/almonds-sustainability/ The authors compared the nutrition content of 42 different California food crops. They also ranked the economic value of 44 food crops. They concluded that for the water needed to produce them, almonds ranked among the most valuable foods grown in California for their dietary and economic benefits. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/environmental-footprint-milks https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/environmental-footprint-m... Cow milk is still 2x more water intensive than almods, needs 16x more land, produces 4x more CO2 and 6x more euthropication.
- ornornor 3y ago
  Thank you for doing the research :)

myshpa 3y ago

> not because they're essential food They are essential, ask any vegan :) > but because they sell a lot in China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almonds_in_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almonds_in_California "Farmers exported $4.5 billion worth to foreign countries in 2016, about 22% of the state's total agricultural exports. The majority of these exports went to the European Union [37%], China [8%] and India [15%]. While the EU is the largest consumer, the latter two countries are expanding markets ...". Canada, Japan and UAE have 6% each. > created a circle of increased water consumption https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23655640/colorado-river-water-alfalfa-dairy-beef-meat https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23655640/colorado-river-wa... 1_049_555 million gallons ... beef, dairy __125_218 million_gallons ... soy, rice, almonds, potatoes https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/12/colorado-drought-water-alfalfa-farmers-conservation https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/12/colorado... "Agriculture – mainly alfalfa – consumes 80% of the Colorado River’s dwindling water supply ... One out of every three farmed acres in the valley is dedicated to growing alfalfa ... used as food for livestock." "In 2021, nearly 20% of alfalfa produced in the west was shipped abroad." https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23655640/colorado-river-water-alfalfa-dairy-beef-meat https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23655640/colorado-river-wa... "The Colorado River is going dry ... to feed cows." "That means altering the demand side of the water supply-demand equation and shifting diets globally to foods that use less H2O, which ultimately means less meat and dairy, as well as fewer water-intensive tree nuts like almonds, pistachios, and cashews (nut milks, however, require much less water to produce than cow’s milk)." https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/the-other-side-of-almonds-a-light-carbon-footprint https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/the-other-side-of-... "1 kilogram of almonds produces less than 1 kilogram of carbon emissions. (For comparison, the Environmental Working Group estimated that beef causes more than 20 kilograms of CO2-eq emissions, cheese more than 10, and beans and vegetables around 2.)" https://foodrevolution.org/blog/almonds-sustainability/ https://foodrevolution.org/blog/almonds-sustainability/ The authors compared the nutrition content of 42 different California food crops. They also ranked the economic value of 44 food crops. They concluded that for the water needed to produce them, almonds ranked among the most valuable foods grown in California for their dietary and economic benefits. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/environmental-footprint-milks https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/environmental-footprint-m... Cow milk is still 2x more water intensive than almods, needs 16x more land, produces 4x more CO2 and 6x more euthropication.

ornornor 3y ago
Thank you for doing the research :)