“The Week” magazine headline about California’s Central Valley screams out a warning: “From breadbasket to wasteland” - due to changing weather patterns. The formerly rich agricultural region is America’s primary source of dozens of products including tomatoes, almonds, grapes and cotton. In 2014, there are an estimated 400,000 to 800,000 acres or 1,250 square miles of farmland left idle because of the current 3-years of low rain. It has 58% of the state in “exceptional drought” conditions with record breaking heat.
Conditions are further exacerbated by the state’s complex water politics, but make no mistake the drought is the primary factor and prices will rise. People will go hungry. The snow melt usually collected in reservoirs was at 29% and the winter and spring rains didn’t materialize. In 2012, farmers only received 40% of water allotments from state and federal projects. The number dropped to 20% in 2013 and this year there was none - zero - nada - zilch. According to the article, “Before this year, receiving zero surface water was inconceivable to the valley farmer. But now it’s happened. Now anything’s possible.”
Sources: “The Week”, October 17, 2014 excerpted from “Matter” at Medium.com