17 ms·

10 Percent of California’s Water Goes to Almond Farming. That’s Nuts. http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_california_s

10 Percent of California’s Water Goes to Almond Farming. That’s Nuts. http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_california_s_water_goes_to_almond_farming.html http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/0... Animals are a huge deal, but I think the shock factor behind almonds is higher. "The entire animal industry in California uses a total of 30 percent, ok... wait, just almonds uses 10 percent?" Perhaps especially because almonds are perceived as more of a luxury food than, say, ground beef or omelets.

sp332 12y ago
But you can see why vegans would feel unfairly targeted.
- sliverstorm 12y ago
  I think both livestock and almonds need attention, and I think both are getting attention. Ten percent is not the single largest slice of the pie, but that doesn't mean we ignore it while we work on the livestock slice of the pie.
  - WalterSear 12y ago
    At least in my social media feeds, a lot more than half the discussion regarding this issue is focused on almonds, while meat consumption is getting closer to 10%.
- Dylan16807 12y ago
  Do vegans eat notably more almonds than the average person? I honestly don't see why they would feel targeted.
khuey 12y ago
Once you add the context that California grows all of the US's and most of the world's almonds it doesn't seem so ridiculous.
- sliverstorm 12y ago
  Well, it explains how it came to be that way. But then you wonder, "why". California is not water-rich. It's fundamentally incongruous. Should it be that way?
- Crito 12y ago
  You should think about why California is growing almonds for the rest of the world. Almond growers are acting against the best interests of their community for personal profit. Using fresh water that California cannot afford to use to grow their own bank accounts, with negligible benefit to Californians. Californians shouldn't tolerate this. "But they pay tax on that profit, that means they are giving back!" you might object. That is little more than a bribe to shut people up. What is California going to do, use that tax money to import fresh water? From where? From everywhere that they are shipping almonds to? Using that money to fund desalination plants might be a decent idea, but Californians seem fairly dead-set against desalination and I doubt the almond tax money would cover it anyway.
DanBC 12y ago
Bee colony collapse and other bee death has been getting attention. Bees are shipped in to the almond groves in California. There's some suspicion that almond farmers use nicotinoids which harm bees; and that transporting bees leaves them more vulnerable to parasite. So, that's one reason why almond farming is seeing more scrutiny recently.

sp332 12y ago

But you can see why vegans would feel unfairly targeted.

sliverstorm 12y ago
I think both livestock and almonds need attention, and I think both are getting attention. Ten percent is not the single largest slice of the pie, but that doesn't mean we ignore it while we work on the livestock slice of the pie.
- WalterSear 12y ago
  At least in my social media feeds, a lot more than half the discussion regarding this issue is focused on almonds, while meat consumption is getting closer to 10%.
Dylan16807 12y ago
Do vegans eat notably more almonds than the average person? I honestly don't see why they would feel targeted.

khuey 12y ago

Once you add the context that California grows all of the US's and most of the world's almonds it doesn't seem so ridiculous.

sliverstorm 12y ago
Well, it explains how it came to be that way. But then you wonder, "why". California is not water-rich. It's fundamentally incongruous. Should it be that way?
Crito 12y ago
You should think about why California is growing almonds for the rest of the world. Almond growers are acting against the best interests of their community for personal profit. Using fresh water that California cannot afford to use to grow their own bank accounts, with negligible benefit to Californians. Californians shouldn't tolerate this. "But they pay tax on that profit, that means they are giving back!" you might object. That is little more than a bribe to shut people up. What is California going to do, use that tax money to import fresh water? From where? From everywhere that they are shipping almonds to? Using that money to fund desalination plants might be a decent idea, but Californians seem fairly dead-set against desalination and I doubt the almond tax money would cover it anyway.

DanBC 12y ago

Bee colony collapse and other bee death has been getting attention. Bees are shipped in to the almond groves in California. There's some suspicion that almond farmers use nicotinoids which harm bees; and that transporting bees leaves them more vulnerable to parasite. So, that's one reason why almond farming is seeing more scrutiny recently.