The sight of farmers being forced to destroy their crops due to the severe drought and resulting water shortages is a devastating reality in California. It’s a situation that has left many wondering: who is truly responsible for this agricultural crisis?
I recall an experience during my university days when a grower visited our campus. My doctoral advisor and I took him to see our orchard, where we were working on a project focused on irrigation water management for apple trees. However, the grower dismissed our efforts, stating, “Don’t waste your time on saving irrigation water. We have plenty of water here in Washington.” This wasn’t an isolated incident, and over the years, I've met many growers who shared similar sentiments.
While there are growers genuinely interested in sustainable practices, many who adopt irrigation water management do so primarily to expand their operations, chasing short-term profits over long-term sustainability. This mindset, in my opinion, has played a significant role in the agricultural struggles we now see in the southwest.
But it’s not fair to place all the blame on the growers. They are only one part of the equation. The other part involves us, the academics. With the prestigious University of California and its numerous research and extension centers, why have we not been more effective in helping farmers manage their water resources better?
California is also home to many AgriTech companies built around innovative ideas. Yet, what tangible impact have these companies had on the state's farming community?
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, agriculture is often not taken as seriously as it should be. It’s concerning when individuals with advanced degrees in fields like electrical or software engineering start AgriTech companies, assuming their expertise in unrelated areas automatically qualifies them as experts in irrigation, agronomy, and soil science.
The situation reminds me of a thought I had recently: "The inventor of irrigation pumps might as well be the Alfred Nobel of agriculture." The widespread and sometimes destructive use of these pumps has caused damage on a scale that might even surpass their benefits, much like dynamite did.
Ultimately, irrigation water management is about more than just conserving water—it's about applying water in a way that meets crop needs without wasting resources or harming the soil. It's time we all, from growers to academics to technologists, take a closer look at how we can contribute to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural future in California and elsewhere.
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“Irrigation water management is the act of timing and regulating irrigation water application in a way that will satisfy the water requirement of the crop without wasting water, energy, and plant nutrients or degrading the soil resource. This involves applying water according to crop needs in amounts that can be held in the soil and at rates consistent with the intake characteristics of the soil.” - NRCS Kansas
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“Alfred Nobel, in full Alfred Bernhard Nobel, (born October 21, 1833, Stockholm, Sweden—died December 10, 1896, San Remo, Italy), Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist who invented dynamite and other more powerful explosives and who also founded the Nobel Prizes.” - Wikipedia
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