CA drought: Past dry periods have lasted more than 200 years, scientists say

Re:CA drought: Past dry periods have lasted more than 200 ye... by ashtonkem on Wednesday August 18, 2021 @12:32AM (#28217803)

Yes, it does. But the issue is also related to changes in what people eat. My understanding is that the increased demand for almonds has been particularly problematic for the region due to how water intensive it is, for example.

What’s not clear to me is whether or not we have to grow our fruits and vegetables in California. Certainly one of the issues is that for huge swaths of our farmland elsewhere we tend to grow mono crops which are often inedible to humans (such as most of our corn). Perhaps we could grow more fruit and edible vegetables there?

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Re:CA drought: Past dry periods have lasted more than 200 ye... by bamboozled on Wednesday August 18, 2021 @12:49AM (#28217879)

Is there really a huge demand for almonds ?

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Re:CA drought: Past dry periods have lasted more than 200 ye... by dmckeon on Wednesday August 18, 2021 @01:15AM (#28217975)

https://text.npr.org/1028452988

> California’s $6 billion almond industry, which produces roughly 80% of the world's almonds.

> California almond production grew from 370 million pounds (nearly 168 million kilograms) in 1995 to a record 3.1 billion pounds (1.4 billion kilograms) in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During that period, land planted with almond trees grew from 756 square miles (1,958 square kilometers) to 2,500 square miles (6,475 square kilometers).

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Re:CA drought: Past dry periods have lasted more than 200 ye... by bamboozled on Wednesday August 18, 2021 @06:06AM (#28219314)

Ok, thanks ;)

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Re:CA drought: Past dry periods have lasted more than 200 ye... by travgary on Wednesday August 18, 2021 @01:11AM (#28217959)

Dairy farms use far more water the focus on almonds is a result of dairy industry propaganda.

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