User:PeterTruong04/Droughts in California

The historical and ongoing droughts in California result from various complex meteorological phenomena, some of which are not fully understood by scientists.

Drought is generally defined as “a deficiency of precipitation over an extended period of time (usually a season or more), resulting in a water shortage.”

A lack of rainfall (or snowfall) or precipitation in meager quantities, higher than average temperatures and dry air masses in the atmosphere commonly underlie drought conditions; these natural factors are further complicated by increases in populations and water demands. Since the California water supply is attained from numerous sources, fulfilled by varied and intricate weather patterns, there is no one cause of drought. California is not only the most populous state and largest agricultural producer in the United States, it is also the most biodiverse; as such, drought in California can have a far reaching economic and environmental impacts.

There are five major categories of drought: (1) Meteorological, (2) Agricultural, (3) Hydrological, (4) Socioeconomic, and (5) Ecological. A meteorological drought may be short lived without causing disturbance; but when longer lasting may enter other categories according to its impacts.

Precipitation in California occurs from November to May, with the vast majority of rain and snowfall occurring in the winter months across the state. This delicate balance means that a dry rainy season can have lasting consequences.

Great impact of Agriculture on Economy - Central Valley California
Farming and food production in California and its Central Valley are extremely vulnerable to drought fueled by climate change, and the industry’s sheer size—in terms of water demand but also money and associated political power—is a big reason for that. Overall, the state of California produces over 400 commodities worth over $49 billion in sales. The Central Valley alone produces over 250 crops with a value of about $17 billion per year, contributing an estimated 25 percent of the nation’s food.

The Central Valley includes parts of 19 counties, which together are home to more than 35,000 farms and nearly 6 million harvested acres. These counties also include 8 of the top 10 agricultural counties in the state: Fresno, Kern, Tulare, Stanislaus, Merced, San Joaquin, Kings, and Madera. Of the top 15 commodities in the state, by total sales, Central Valley counties are the leader in 11 of them. The top commodities across Central Valley counties include almonds, pistachios, table grapes, milk, oranges, wine grapes, walnuts, cotton, livestock (cattle & calves, chickens), and nursery crops (fruit, wine, and nuts). Other major Central Valley crops include cereal grains (such as corn), hay, tomatoes, vegetables, and other citrus and tree fruits.

Drought
Read more here: https://blog.ucsusa.org/marcia-delonge/in-californias-central-valley-drought-is-a-growing-threat-to-farms-food-and-people/

Drought is a silent disaster. Drought is more dangerous than other disasters because it is killing us slowly that we might not even know. Unlike other disasters freeze, floods or earthquake that the impacts can be seen immediately. For example, farmers might lose all of their crops right away because of those disasters. However, we know, we see the affect, which also means, a solution can be found to fix the problem. Crops will grow again after those disasters. However, with droughts, it is slow kill. Drought kills the crops, destroy the land which is very dangerous in long term because farmers might not be able to farm and grow crops there anymore.

Droughts are both a biophysical event and a social event. However, drought planning and response is dominated by physical science framings of drought while the social dynamics of drought are poorly monitored or ignored (Lackstrom et al., 2013, Meadow et al., 2013). This can lead to a mismatch between how drought policies identify and respond to drought versus how droughts are being experienced by people.

Understanding how droughts are understood and experienced by people and communities is critical to making the human impacts of drought visible (Bachmair et al., 2016, Ferguson et al., 2016). The research explores how people’s lived experiences and local climate knowledges in California’s San Joaquin Valley are reflected in their narratives of drought vulnerability during the 2012–2016 drought. Local drought knowledges explain the production of drought vulnerability across long time scales that span historical past, the present, as well as desired visions of the future. Who is vulnerable and why differs across the narratives, with each narrative offering competing understandings for how the relationship between water, agriculture, labor, and rural communities create drought vulnerability. Revealing these relationships uncovers the human impacts of drought as well as the social processes that produce inequities in rural agricultural communities that are present before and long after a drought.

Central Valley suffers from Drought
During drought, when precipitation is reduced and surface water supplies are likely to be more limited, Central Valley farmers have two basic options to work with: finding more water and using less water. Both involve difficult decisions and can lead to a variety of short- and long-term consequences.

Farmers in Central Valley - California have found more water by drilling deeper. However, this is expensive and can only done by wealthier farmers. However, this can affect their neighbors and other farmers who can not afford to drill deeper, with no clean water. An estimated 12,000 people in the Central Valley ran out of water during the 2011-2017 drought.

Using less water is also another option to deal with drought. This might be better in many front, but is no less complicated. During the 2014, 2015 and 2016 drought in California, Central Valley losses included tens of thousands of jobs and billions in output. As noted earlier, new estimates indicate that the 2021 drought led to statewide costs of $1.7 billion and over 14 thousand jobs; many of the costs were felt hardest in the Central Valley, where approximately 385,000 previously planted acres were left bare. Looking to the future, one study suggests that reductions in groundwater and surface water in the San Joaquin Valley could require leaving over 500,000 acres of farmland unplanted, with additional implications for farmers, workers, and the state’s economy.

Both options will lead to some of the short and long terms effects.

Central Valley needs a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable agriculture
Farmers, workers, and communities are already suffering from increasing drought, climate change, and other persistent challenges, and change is overdue. Proactive and intentional actions will improve the chances of identifying ways forward that are equitable and just, particularly for those whose lives and livelihoods will be impacted by change.

Fortunately, there are farming practices, policies, and programs that could help move things in the right direction. Shifts in practices could include things like growing more drought-tolerant crops, boosting soil health, practicing dry farming, utilizing practices that require fewer pesticides and fertilizers, and repurposing land for some uses that require less water (such as solar arrays or wildlife habitat). In terms of policies, we can continue to support and strengthen important initiatives like California’s Healthy Soils Programand the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. At the federal level, we can push for much needed provisions to support farmers, protect farmworkers, halt consolidation, advance research, and increase adoption of more sustainable farming practices. In 2021, policymakers took encouraging steps on the climate and agriculture front, and bills like the Agricultural Resilience Act and the Justice for Black Farmers Act could help promote even more progress, especially as Congress prepares to write a 2023 farm bill.

While there are opportunities ahead, there is also long way to go. For the sake of Central Valley farmers, workers, and communities, and all of us who depend on them, it’s time for more action.