blog post Can Dryland Farming Help California Agriculture Adapt to Future Water Scarcity? By Lori Pottinger Apr 19, 2021 Future restrictions on groundwater pumping to meet sustainability requirements could result in large areas of farmland coming out of production in the San Joaquin Valley. We talked to agroecologist Caity Peterson about the potential for dryland farming to reduce the need to fallow land.
blog post Creating a Place for Nature in the San Joaquin Valley By Lori Pottinger Apr 13, 2021 The quest for groundwater sustainability will result in large amounts of irrigated farmland being retired in the San Joaquin Valley. We talked to Scott Butterfield of The Nature Conservancy about how some of these lands could be restored to natural areas that bring multiple benefits.
Fact Sheet Droughts in California By Jeffrey Mount, Alvar Escriva-Bou, Gokce Sencan Apr 13, 2021 California is highly prone to droughts, and climate change makes them worse. This fact sheet describes key challenges to managing dry times.
blog post Budgeting for Agricultural Sustainability and Resiliency By Lori Pottinger Jan 27, 2021 We talked to Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, about agricultural programs designed to build climate resilience and support farmers’ financial resilience and water security.
blog post Using Fire for Good on Tribal Land By Henry McCann Sep 1, 2020 Indigenous peoples have used fire to maintain the land for millennia. We talked to Margo Robbins, a member of the Yurok tribe and director of the Cultural Fire Management Council, about using fire on their lands.
blog post How the Pandemic Has Disrupted Food Chains By Lori Pottinger May 18, 2020 COVID-19 has changed what we eat and where we eat it. Dave Puglia of Western Growers explains how these changes are affecting food chains and California’s farmers.
blog post Will Groundwater Sustainability Plans End the Problem of Dry Drinking Water Wells? By Jelena Jezdimirovic, Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou May 14, 2020 Overpumping of groundwater has caused domestic wells to go dry in the San Joaquin Valley. Many sustainability plans do not propose ways to mitigate this problem.
blog post Water Availability for San Joaquin Valley Farms: A Balancing Act By Jelena Jezdimirovic, Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou Apr 21, 2020 California’s largest farming region has wide variability in access to surface water. We examined how the mix of supplies affects solutions to end groundwater overdraft.
blog post Wastewater Treatment Kills Most Pathogens, Including COVID-19 Virus By Lori Pottinger Apr 13, 2020 Californians reuse treated wastewater for water supply, to irrigate crops, and to support freshwater ecosystems. We talked to two experts about managing coronavirus in the “sewershed.”
blog post Food Security in a Time of COVID-19 Insecurity: How the Virus Affects Farming By Lori Pottinger Mar 30, 2020 How will COVID-19 affect California agriculture—key to food supplies locally and nationally? We talked to farmer Cannon Michael about the pandemic’s impact on farmers and farmworkers.
