The drought in central California is so severe that it is putting the production and supply of certain types of fruit and vegetables at risk across the United States. The fields around the city of Fresno, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, are suffering from a lack of water, and local crops are under threat. A blow for the whole of the United States, given that California produces many of the vegetables destined for supermarkets across the nation. This period of drought is also affecting the daily lives of residents, who are being forced to ration water to get through a difficult spell caused by the chronic lack of rainfall in recent months.

No water for almonds

Among the crops falling victim to the drought in California are almonds. Farmers in the San Joaquin Valley do not have enough water to irrigate their almond orchards properly, and so they are providing less water than the trees need. One local farmer recounted having been forced to leave a third of his farmland unplanted with other crops in order to save water and have it available for the almonds. The prolonged drought is putting California's $6 billion almond industry to the test — an industry that produces around 80 per cent of the world's almonds. More growers are expected to abandon their orchards as water becomes scarce and expensive.

The United States drought monitoring agency known as the Drought Monitor reported that 88 per cent of California is in a state of "extreme drought", with the Central Valley facing the worst conditions. The drought has drained the reservoirs that supply water to local farms, including Lake Shasta, now only 30 per cent full, and Lake Oroville, barely 24 per cent full according to the California Department of Water Resources. The government of Democrat Gavin Newsom has decided to cut water supplies for agriculture, forcing many farmers to leave their fields fallow or to switch to higher-value crops that use less water.

Yet over the last decade, the Mediterranean-like climate found in this part of California, combined with a reliable and modern irrigation system, had made its valleys perfect locations for growing nuts and other highly sought-after fruit such as strawberries and grapes. Almond orchards are permanent crops that need water all year round, which is why the worsening drought and the intensifying heatwaves linked to climate change are making their production increasingly difficult.

The Associated Press ✓ @AP

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A deepening drought threatens one of California’s most profitable crops - almonds. One farmer has left a third of his farmland unplanted to save water for the nuts. More growers are expected to abandon their orchards as water becomes scarce and expensive.
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Government measures against the drought in California

California's authorities, fearful that there may not be enough water for city dwellers or for wildlife, have abruptly cut supplies to farms, provoking anger and dismay among farmers. Along rural roads — now reduced to vast dusty expanses, with mountains visible in the distance showing trees scorched by wildfires — signs have sprung up everywhere reading "Save California's Water" or calling for Newsom's resignation.

The governor recently approved new emergency legislation to prevent thousands of people, particularly farmers, from diverting streams or rivers. When the authorities cut water supplies, farmers find themselves forced to rely on wells drilled deep into the ground at a cost of thousands of dollars; and even these resources eventually run dry. "The situation is terrible," said Liset Garcia, who now relies on the water from a single well to irrigate half of her eight-hectare farm. The heat has destroyed many of her crops, which have literally been cooked in the sun.

Even hotels and restaurants across the state are having to cope with the lack of water: in some hotels in the tourist village of Mendocino, showers have become pay-per-use, while many restaurants have banned access to bathrooms and are limiting the water provided to customers. For the time being, the situation appears to have no solution: the consequences will be felt not only in California's $50 billion agricultural sector, but also in the food supply of the entire nation, given that the state of Los Angeles produces more than a third of America's vegetables.