This week's blog is a debate on the topic of California Agricultural water use.
The question: Can farms survive without drying up California?
Do your research! Click the following link and choose to read some of the editorial pieces from the debaters on the issue. With whom do you agree?
Remember to cite evidence from the text, respond to classmates' points of view, and write at least two full paragraphs on the issue.
Agriculture in California uses about 80% of the water in California. This statistic is an eye opener, not to mention the terrible drought that has come over California. About 42% of farmers are trying to do their part in conserving water by using drip irrigation and scientific methods to determine when and how much to water their crops. In addition, Heather Cooley believes that, “In a state with such contentious water challenges, the failure to accurately account for water use contributes directly to the failure to manage it sustainably.” To Cooley, one major event that has to happen before this drought can be stopped is to have an accurate way of tracking water use. I agree with Heather Cooley that certain steps must be taken to end this drought and keep farmers working.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Jonathan Foley that new techniques and existing ones can be used in tandem. He writes that many organic farmers have already found effective solutions to this drought. For example, Foley suggests that all farmers should, “Use mulches and organic matter to retain moisture near roots.” The mulches can trap in the moisture and water the plants over time. This means that farmers could water crops less, saving water and leading to the end of this drought. Farms can certainly survive without drying up California, but it is imperative for farmers to take steps to lessen water use and water conservation efforts must be increased.
80% of California's water supply goes to the farmers for their crops. Many people have been wondering what is going to happen with this drought and it has been quite the debate topic! But the real question is: Can farms survive without drying out California?
ReplyDeleteYes:
Some people believe that farms can survive without drying out California. They're reasons do make sense but I'm not sure I quite agree. They say if we have better water management, right pricing policies, and technical support then our agriculture will be strong for decades! They also say not to worry because armers are smart and innovative. Finally, they say farmers are more efficient with water savings than in previous decades. While all of this may be true, I still don't completely agree.
No:
Then on the other hand you have the people, like me, who think farms can't survive without drying California. First off, California's water future is uncertain. Besides some people are talking about raising the prices on water just to show how valuable water is. We already know that without it we would die... so why do they want to make it even more valuable? They are also saying that we need a statewide system to track water use, that way we can see what is causing this drought. Finally, despite all of the improvements all the farmers are making, water is still needed. Sure they are saving more water, but guess what, we are still in a drought.
Agriculture in California consumes 80% of California water supply. This may be a huge surprise to people but it with is percent, the question is how will the farms survive this drought? Some farmers have been trying to conserve water my using techniques to conserve water like using mulch which according to Jonathan Foley, "reduce evaporation from the soil surface, and increased soil organic matter". Due to this, the mulch helps reduce water usage for farms. Moreover, techniques like this could end up help get out of this drought.
ReplyDeletePlus,42% of farmers have been using advanced scientific methods in order to find out how much water plants need. No to mention, Wenonah Hauter thinks we should regulate water to be rid of any wasteful usage. Her article gives an example with almonds and pistachios. These two nuts have been popular to the point where farmers had to plant them in dryer areas which have caused " vast amounts of water, importing it from the San Francisco Bay Delta and rapidly depleting groundwater". Furthermore causing water to deplete, but I believe farm may be able to survive the drought as long as they do not overspend their water.
California's agriculture uses 80% of the state's water supply. Unfortunately, the drought is rapidly drying out the farmlands, leaving dried dirt and grass. As a result, farmlands in California are suffering severely. California is now in the third year of one of the state's worst droughts in the past. What would happen if California's drought became a 'megadrought'? That's what many scientists and Californians are asking. Reading from NewRupublic.com, "Farmers are ripping out crops, religious believers are praying for rain, and local governments are ordering restaurants to stop serving glasses of water except to diners who specifically request them." They should have done that ever since the beginning of this major drought. As Dan Keppen states, "Farmers will look for ways to conserve water where they can because they are stewards of the land and it’s in their economic interest. But it's difficult to conserve even more water when there's none."
ReplyDelete"Use mulches and organic matter to retain moisture near roots. Organic farms withstand drought better than conventional farms," states Jonathan Foley. He wants the crops get the most out of their water, by using alternative farming methods. These techniques are borrowed from organic and “permaculture” farms. For example, the method using mulches helps reduce evaporation from the surface of the soil and increases soil organic matter. This will help to naturally retain moisture in the soil’s root zone and finally help plants grow.
It's quite scary to think that eventually Central and Southern California will lose all of the water. It won't happen within a year, but maybe three years from now, we'll be dried up to the riverbed. California's farmlands WILL survive this drought because the advanced and organic techniques WILL help us make it through.
Agriculture uses up most of California's water. Even though farmers have been using better ways to farm they still use up a great amount of water. For example, "Four million acres of land are flood irrigated, and most farmers still use non-scientific methods, such as the look of the crop, to determine when to water" states Heather Cooley. This shows how the farmers should test the crop before watering because they are using more water than needed. The water needs to limited to a certain amount. For example " Gov. Jerry Brown should impose sensible restrictions on irrigation in extremely dry areas of the state that cannot sustain agricultural production without taxing the state's dwindling water supply" states Wenonah Hauter. This is a great idea to limit the water use so water is not being over used or wasted.
ReplyDeleteIf California farmers grow plants that use less water we can save water for other important needs."Use mulches and organic matter to retain moisture near roots. Organic farms withstand drought better than conventional farms," states Jonathan Foley. If all the farmers started to use these organic farmers ways we can definitely save on water. All farmers need to start to try to conserve water if we want our future with water. I think if we use some techniques like using scientific methods to know when to water plants and like Sasha said to use organic techniques we can save water.
80% of all of the states water goes to agricultural purposes. However, in this drought, many of the plants on the farm are being uprooted because of the lack of water. Only 42% of farmers in the state are using the drip irrigation method, which is much less wasteful than the flood-irrigation technique. In fact there are 4 million acres of land that are flood-irrigated, ineffectively using water. If California's farmers keep using water like this, then the drought won't get any better.
ReplyDeleteThe article actually said, "California's water future is increasingly uncertain." so any guess that I make about the drought and the farmers could possibly be incorrect. There are many new laws to restrict people to a certain amount of water. At this rate, the farms of California will not survive the drought. However, If we take the time to actually conserve the water and use it wisely, then California's farms will survive the drought.
-Isaac E.
Sorry, this one's kinda short
DeleteAgriculture uses 80% of the California's water supply. Many farmers are trying to use drip irrigation systems to try to save water. Governor Brown says," farmers had sacrificed enough." I believe that farmers will survive the drought, because they are the one's sacrificing he most for the people that don't need the water as much. The water usage for farmers this year has gone way down, since last year.
ReplyDeleteBut when some farmers are making it better for some people, others aren't helping the drought at all. Only 42% of the farmers in California are using the water irrigation systems. The 42% are having to unroot plants because they are sacrificing for the water. The laws that restrict are water use aren't doing the best of jobs for the drought. Many people are still watering their lawns every day. These people aren't helping California's case. The farmers may not survive.
Agriculture uses 80% of California's water supply. Even with the enormous amounts of water used by farmers, most still need to uproot their plants. There are ways to save water for them and there are ways to do so. For example, only 42% of the farmers, are actually using scientific ways and irrigation. This is wasting a lot of water and should stop now. Another technique to save water is to use organic methods to supply crops. We should also try to install better irrigation systems and thankfully, we slowly are. In fact, about $3 billion went to install more efficient irrigation systems. this is a great start, we still need to try harder.
ReplyDeleteI agree mostly with Heather Cloony in that while the farmers are still doing a decent job at conserving the water, there is still much to be done, as stated in the 42% that don't use effective irrigation techniques. I also agree partly with Tom Philpott in that just cause California has a great climate to grow food and supply agriculture, it shouldn't be responsible from 90% of certain food, many foods actually. While California's water situation is getting less and less predictable, farmers will stay. As Gov. Jerry Brown said that farmers have sacrificed too much already.
~~~~Jamal N.~~~~
California's agriculture uses about 80% of California water supply levels. I agree with many in our class, and I say they should save more water or they will dry out California. For example,"About 42 percent of farmers use advanced scientific methods that evaluate crop water needs to determine when and how much to irrigate"(www.nytimes.com). With 58% of farmers not using water wisely with these methods, I think they should start soon or they may waste enourous amounts of water over the course of a few years. When farmers don't want to save water they are putting the rest of California in risk of losing water. They need to try harder to realy save California's water.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, Johnathan Foley looks for ways for farmers to save water, "methods including the use of heavy mulches, which reduce evaporation from the soil surface, and increased soil organic matter, which naturally retains moisture in the soil’s root zone and helps plants grow"(www.nytimes.com). This shows, farmers can do so much to save every last drop of water. Some just choose not to do it. Saving water in the farms can provide big water savings because they do use 80% of our water. If the farmers want to keep their farming jobs in California they need to start saving more water.
Agriculture uses 80% of California's water supply. This is the real cause of the drought over California. This may be a very shocking statistic to some but it is very true. For instance, only 42% of the farmers, are actually using scientific ways and irrigation. This is wasting a whole lot of water while they could be saving it. These ways to save water were made for a reason, they were not made to just read and forget about. The opposite side of the argument is that farmers have sacrificed too much already (Gov. Jerry Brown).
ReplyDeleteHe thinks that the farmers will survive. He takes this side of the argument because Jerry thinks that the farmers have been the ones sacrificing any way. Brown also says the farmers water usage has gone way down since last year. I agree with Heather Cloony that while farmers are improving, there is still work to be done.
California farms will have bumps in this drought. For example, "...most farmers still use non-scientific methods, such as the look of the crop, to determine when to water" (www.nytimes.com). The fact that most farmers don't know how to be smart with when to water their crops is disappointing because when water is gone most farmers will start to run out of water while the rest are going to be water rich. Also, this shows how we came to be in the drought because farmers just water their crops by the way the crops look, the farmers could water to early or water late and use more water to help it keep the crops alive. Farmers need to be smart with water or California will be dried out.
ReplyDeleteNow to the other side of the argument, farmers are becoming smart with water. Something that helps explain this is that, "...good news is that California farmers are smart and innovative, and existing technologies and management practices can reduce agriculture’s vulnerability to water supply constraints and improve its long-term sustainability" (www.nytime.com). This is good news to the people of California because what this quote is saying is that farmers are creating new ways to improve the water water supply without using lots of water. Now time to talk about how the people of California can help stop this drought.
The drought has brought up many questions about California. These questions have brought things such as new policies statewide to try and conserve water. Even though these orders have been set out, not must has changed. This might be because of one thing, california's agriculture. We produce a lot of our countries food supply, and you need water grow food.
ReplyDeleteThe farms of california are one of the major reasons why we have little water, and why we need major rainfall for a long period of time to supply our states need of water. "agriculture uses 80 percent of California’s developed water supply" according to the new york times, and that is a major issue. This water could be used to help with shortages throughout the state and help lower the cost of water. Also, the NY times says that although tthey take up most of the water, the "California agriculture provides higher returns per acre and per gallon of water than at any time in the past."
This means that even thought the farms are taking the majority of our water, they are using less water than ever before and are better at using the least amount of water possible. Although they are using less water, california's farms are nt able to survive without drying up the state.
California is in a serious drought and people are beginning to wonder if California's farms can survive without drying up California. After all, agriculture consumes nearly 80% of all the water used in California. However, I believe that farms can survive without drying up California. Jonathan Foley writes that there are many ways to adress agriculture's thirst, and though many changes are taking place to help save water, alternative farming methods would help a lot. In "To Save Water, All Farmers Should Borrow Techniques From Organic Farming", Foley lists a few organic farming techniques that, if used by all Californian farmers, could help save a lot of water.
ReplyDeleteThere are many organic farming techniques just for what kind of soil to use that can save quite a bit of water that I'm confident that we can save a lot of water if all farmers in California borrowed some techniques from organic farming. For instance, if all Californian farmers used heavy mulches, they could reduce evaporation from the soil surface. This could really help, as in these tough times, it's important to get as mmuch food out of as little water as possible.And different soil is only the beginning. There are many other organic farming methods that can be used by Californian farmers to reduce water usage. This could really make a difference in how much water is used by farmers in California.
I think that farms can survive without drying out California. Although farms use about 80% of California's water supply, some farmers are trying new methods to save water. For example, 42% of farmers are using the drip-irrigation method, which saves water. Some farmers are using mulch. There are still 4 million acres of land that ineffectively use water. California's water supply's future is pretty uncertain, but if we use our water rationally farms might survive. People are thinking of increasing water prices and some laws restrict people to how much water they can have.
ReplyDelete-Apolo L.
As many of us know, California ran into a huge dilemma, a drought. This probably lead to most of us questioning if agriculture and farms could still continue to thrive even with a lower amount of water. Although, 80% of California's water supply is used by farms, I do believe that farms can still be able to survive without being dried out. For one, farmers are now starting to use new methods that include using less water. For example, 42% of farmers are now using the drip-irrigation method on over 3 million acres of land. This come to show that this new technique is especially successful since farmers are able to cover all of their land with water and not use too much of the limited supply they have.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Johnathan has also found that "methods including the use of heavy mulches, which reduce evaporation from the soil surface, and increased soil organic matter, which naturally retains moisture in the soil’s root zone and helps plants grow"(nytimes.com).
In every way possible, farmers are trying to find ways to save water in any way they can. While there is the possibility of continuing having successful farms, farmers still must be cautious about how much water they use and how they can save every last drop.
KA1
California is in serious trouble with its drought and there is uncertainty clouding our future. Measures have been taken to lessen water usage but we still have to increase these measures. For example,"Four million acres of land are flood irrigated, and most farmers still use non-scientific methods, such as the look of the crop, to determine when to water," states Heather Cooley. Four million acres of the approximate 43 million acres of land used for agriculture still uses flood irrigation. If you aren't familiar with flood irrigation, it's one of the oldest irrigation techniques known to man. Water floods the land that the crop is grown on and it soaks into the ground to water the crops. It's an abnormally large waste of water and an outdated technique. Now, there are much more efficient irrigation techniques that are more cost effective.
ReplyDeleteFarms of California are one of the many reasons we have problems with water conservation in California. While we have taken many measures to deal with this problem, I believe that we need to stretch this further. We don't know when we'll get out of the drought. While farming methods have definately improved in water efficiency, we need to take further precautions and more farmers need to switch techniques. We don't know when we will be pulled out of this drought and when we will get more rain. So, in conclusion, don't believe the question is whether the farms will survive, but rather what our plan is if it does happen.
ReplyDeleteI think that farms can survive without drying up California. Today, our farmers are much smarter in conserving the water. For example, "Farmers are much more efficient in their water use than in previous decades"(nytimes.com). This shows that farmers try hard to conserve water. Most farmers today also use efficient methods to help conserve water. For example, "About 42 percent of farmers use advanced scientific methods that evaluate crop water needs to determine when and how much to irrigate"(nytimes.com). This shows that almost half of the farmers know when and how much water should be used for their plants.
Another reason farms can survive without drying up California is farmers are getting better at conserving water. Farmers can be more efficient in the way they use water by changing their techniques of watering crops. " ...drip irrigation is used on more than 3 million acres of land..." (nytimes.com). This way of farming uses less water, but still gives crops the water needed to survive. Farmers must make changes to their watering techniques to help conserve water.
Agriculture in California takes up about 80% of the states water. There is currently a massive drought in the state of California, so will agriculture survive without drying up the state? I believe that agriculture in California will survive, without drying up California, for two reasons. Farmers are learning to control their use of water. For example, the article, “Can Farms Survive Without Drying Up California?” says, “Based on federal and state data… about 42 percent of farmers use advanced scientific methods to evaluate crop water needs to determine when and how much to irrigate.” The farmers calculate how much water they need and how often they need to water so they won’t use too much or too little.
ReplyDeleteOnly 42% of farmers use this method. This means that some farmers may be using too much water for watering crops. Heather Cooley stated, “We need a statewide system to track water use.” I agree with her. If all farmers used this method, there wouldn’t be a huge commotion about farmers drying up California. The percentage of how much water farmers use up would most likely drop. Farmers who have been using too much water need to start using this method so we don’t have to worry about California drying up because of agriculture.
~Karina Horan卌
I think farmers agriculture can stay alive without drying up California. As Elijah said, farmers are able to conserve their water more than before," farmers are more efficient in their water use than previous decades." This shows that at least the farmers are trying to save some water and not trying to carelessly use it all. I agreed with Heather Cooley and her idea that,"we need a state wide system to track water use." This would be helpful so that we'd know just how much water would b going to the fArmers and how much is being used.
ReplyDeleteAlso,"42% of farmers use advanced scientific methods to evaluate how much crop water is needed to determine when and how much to irrigate." This means that farmers are doing their best to conserve water and use just the amount needed. But that also means the other 58% of farmers aren't using this method. They may be overwatering, which would be not conserving. I think that if every farmer had this method going on, California would not dry up from farmers. But since some aren't using it, the answer is a little skeptical but I still think California won't dry up from farmers with way.
~Juliana P.
Despite the drought, It's likely that California's farmers will continue to grow produce without drying the entire state out. Firstly, more efficient irrigation systems have become available to farmers that would greatly reduce the water they use, while still allowing them to grow the same amount of produce they normally would. According to Robert Glennon,"A better solution would be to provide farmers with options that allow them to reduce their water and still make the same amount of money — if not even more. Given proper incentives, farmers would likely pursue temporary fallowing, shift their crop mixes, and modernize their irrigation systems".
ReplyDeleteSimply making their methods more modern and efficient would conserve a lot of water, and farmers would not have to risk losing money (by either paying for water or simply not being able to sell crops).
Moreover, simple methods to retain moisture in soil could allow for farmers to use even less water. Jonathan Foley, an agricultural scientist, states that," These methods including the use of heavy mulches, which reduce evaporation from the soil surface, and increased soil organic matter, which naturally retains moisture in the soil’s root zone and helps plants grow". While it may not seem like much,it would still help conserve water without severely harming agricultural industries. Doing things like charging more money for water use or stopping farming altogether in some areas (and transporting it from other states) wouldn't be as necessary if these actions were carried out. These options should be chosen because they do not cost farmers an unreasonable amount of money, they allow farmers to grow the amount that they usually do, and would still free up a lot of water that the rest of California could use.
About 4/5ths of California's water supply is used on water. However, there are different methods that allow farmers to use water without having their farmland drying up. There's an option to make extra canals and aqueducts to carry melted snow from the mountains, and according to Tom Philphott, "The states water project promises five times more water to farmers than they have in years with normal mountain snowcap." This shows that there are ways to improve the argriculture from the drought.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, the state can grow less thirsty crops that don't need as much water. As Jonathan Foley said, "We can grow less thirsty crops, and get more value per gallon of water." Thirsty crops need the most water compared to other crops, so if we reduce the amount, the water can be saved little by little. The state cannot wait for the drought to dry up all farms, we have to use methods in order to gain more water, and also find ways to reduce the water usage on agriculture for a positive effect.
With the drought going on in California some debate topics have formed like: "Can farms survive without drying up California?" and I think that farms will be able to survive without drying up California. One reason I believe that this can happen is because farmers could use more water-saving-techniques when they farm. For example, Jonathan Foley said, "We could grow less thirsty crops, and try to get more food value per gallon of water". This shows that farmers won't need to use as much water if we grew crops that used less water. If we stopped using foods that uses a lot for water, like almonds, for a while then we can conserve water and have more amounts of food that don't need as much water. Farmers can grow more food with less water and wouldn't have to buy as much water to grow more food.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason why I believe that the farms will survive is because farmers hasn't isolated their only water source location to California. According to Dan Keppen, he says, "Some [farmers] have been forced to buy water, when available, from other sources." This shows that the farms still have hope, if they use their water wisely, and it won't put an impact into Drying up California. The farms still have hope in surviving as long as people start conserving more water so we save our resources.
-Nikamarie F..
The many farms across California could not survive without water. In addition they are a big part of why California is in a drought. For example, ''and most farmers still use non-scientific methods, such as the look of the crop, to determine when to water." Most farmers don't use a schedule when they water their plants so they just do it when they feel like which is a big waste of water. Farms are a big waste of water because they can't survive without frequent use of it for crops.
ReplyDeleteThe climate doesn't help either. When the weather is dry the crops need to be watered more frequently to survive. "Competition over limited water resources continues and is exacerbated by climate change" Now farms and other places have to compete for their water,they use more of it because we have a littler supply of it.
Most farms in California are suffering from the drought that has took water from the state's supplies. 80% of the already dwindling amount of water is being used for agriculture, and despite farmers' attempts to conserve as much as possible, it is unlikely that farms will survive. Operations involving pistachios, walnuts, and almonds are consuming "vast amounts of water" (Stop Water Abuse). Sources show that the pistachio/walnut/almond industry has pumped over a million acres of groundwater in the past two years, vastly depleting California's supply and taking too much of the water.
ReplyDeleteThe water used in agricultural industries have also been "extracting billions of gallons per year more than is naturally replenished" (De-Californify the Nation's....). The amount of water being used for agriculture is leaving a large hole in the state's water supply. Even before the drought, at a rate of 11 inches per year, agricultural industries have been taking away from the state's water. With the shocking evidence that various sources provide, it's obvious that agricultural industries have been taking away too much from the already small amount of water left. If the trend keeps continuing, farms will soon be unable to survive.
ReplyDeleteGreat responses, all! I'm really Impressed with how much you've all grown in your writing, and in your ability to incorporate evidence. Take a look back at the early blogs to see the huge difference!
Love my kiddos!!
I think farms can survive during the drought. However, it depends on whether the general public can or not. Farms are already doing bunch to save water. However, people are using a lot of water for their personal lawns. In fact, I heard on the radio today that the general public could save water by cutting their sprinkler time by 10%. Plus, people are still turning the water faucet on all the way when they are brushing their teeth. Not only that but people are taking 15 to 25 minute showers. People also think that it is better to clean the dishes with their hands. However, it is better to use the dishwasher because the water use is timed. Overall, I think farms can survive.
ReplyDeleteI think farms can survive during the drought. However, it depends on whether the general public can or not. Farms are already doing bunch to save water. However, people are using a lot of water for their personal lawns. In fact, I heard on the radio today that the general public could save water by cutting their sprinkler time by 10%. Plus, people are still turning the water faucet on all the way when they are brushing their teeth. Not only that but people are taking 15 to 25 minute showers. People also think that it is better to clean the dishes with their hands. However, it is better to use the dishwasher because the water use is timed. Overall, I think farms can survive.
ReplyDelete