Wells are running dry in drought-weary Southwest as foreign-owned farms guzzle water to feed cattle

[sl8]

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/05/us/arizona-water-foreign-owned-farms-climate/index.html




The sprawling alfalfa fields of Al Dahra Farms dwarf the town of Wenden, Arizona.
Rebecca Noble for CNN

Wells are running dry in drought-weary Southwest as foreign-owned farms guzzle water to feed cattle overseas

By Ella Nilsen, CNN; Photography by Rebecca Noble for CNN
Published 4:04 AM EDT, Sat November 5, 2022
La Paz County, Arizona
CNN
—
Workers with the water district in Wenden, Arizona, saw something remarkable last year as they slowly lowered a camera into the drought-stricken town’s well: The water was moving.

But the aquifer which sits below the small desert town in the southwestern part of the state is not a river; it’s a massive, underground reservoir which stores water built up over thousands of years. And that water is almost always still.

Gary Saiter, a longtime resident and head of the Wenden Water Improvement District, said the water was moving because it was being pumped rapidly out of the ground by a neighboring well belonging to Al Dahra, a United Arab Emirates-based company farming alfalfa in the Southwest.

Al Dahra did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.

[...]

[bhikkhu]

1. While finger-pointing may be justified...

How long have the farms actually been growing food there, regardless of ownership? And how long has that sub-division been there? That is usually the real question when it comes to water rights. Agricultural use that predates a housing subdivision tends to have water rights that a new subdivision doesn't. As it should be.

You could also ask - where did all those people move from? The huge increase in residential population in the US southwest is a problematic in a number of ways, including demands on the very limited water supply, of course.

[paleotn]

2. Terrible, but they're not the only ones growing wet country crops in dry country.

I just don't understood why they do something so unsustainable. Make a quick buck, drain the aquifer and then sell the land for pennies on the dollar? Strange.

[msongs]

3. the eat dead animals crowd strikes again nt

[haele]

4. Pistachios and Almonds and Rice grown in California is not for dead Meat animals....

Agriculture in California is primarily fruit, vegetables, nuts and rice. Some meat and dairy animals, true, but the vast majority goes to plant food for human consumption. Agriculture accounts for 80% of the water used in California.
Another 10% or so goes to manufacturing and food processing (including bottled water).
A huge problem comes from corporate ownership and international investment in monoculture farming.

But, hey, going to all Vegan farming will save water usage in California by about 5%...

So enjoy that healthy almond flour toast with avocado, herb spring veggie salads, and Tofu Biryani, all sourced from California corporate farming and sucking our aquifers and the Colorado River reservoirs dry.

On edit - I know I sound sarcastic, but there's a huge problem with the way Americans in particular look at Agriculture and the economy of agriculture. Instead of looking at it as a required service that needs to be sustainable, we as a modern culture look at Agriculture as an investment vehicle, which makes food the secondary byproduct of Agriculture. There's a crapload of waste in food production and sales/marketing, while ability to produce food efficiently and provide it effectively is decreasing.


Haele