Kiss Your Guacamole Good-Bye: Drought-Stricken California Farmers Stop Growing Avocados

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/11/03/kiss-your-guacamole-goodbye-california-farmers-stop-growing-avocados?cmpid=tpfood-eml-2014-11-08-guac


But new techniques may help growers squeeze more fruit from fewer acres with less water.

?itok=0EvPIGpd

November 03, 2014 By Padma Nagappan

Padma Nagappan is a multimedia journalist who writes about the environment, renewable energy, sustainability, agriculture, and biotechnology.


When Chipotle warned investors back in March that it might suspend serving guacamole at its restaurants if avocado prices rose because of the California drought, climate change hit home for chip-and-dip lovers, who took to Twitter in distress.

Things have not gotten better since then.

It takes 74 gallons of water to produce one pound of avocados—and drought-stricken California produces 95 percent of the avocados grown in the United States. No wonder Chipotle’s bean counters are worried.

One-third of the state’s avocados are grown in San Diego County, which has some of the highest water prices in the state. In Valley Center, a town that is home to many family farms, avocado growers have seen water rates rise steeply in recent years—so much so that irrigating their groves has become more expensive than the price they get for selling their avocados.

FULL story at link.

[hlthe2b]

1. I'm going to start craving guacomole now...

Limes gone to the drug cartel and now avocadoes/guac gone to drought. sigh....

[Cha]

2. That is so sad.. California has the best variety of avos! May the rains come back!

Mahalo Steve.

[cherokeeprogressive]

18. They always do. n/t

[LiberalEsto]

3. (sob)

[handmade34]

4. they should

close down the dairy farms and hay production that goes to feed dairy cows...

Alfalfa hay requires even more water, about 15 percent of the state’s supply. About 70 percent of alfalfa grown in California is used in dairies, and a good portion of the rest is exported to land-poor Asian countries like Japan. Yep, that’s right: In the middle of a drought, farmers are shipping fresh hay across the Pacific Ocean. The water that’s locked up in exported hay amounts to about 100 billion gallons per year—enough to supply 1 million families with drinking water for a year.

...pound-for-pound, there’s an order of magnitude more water needed to get meat and dairy to your plate. A stick of butter requires more than 500 gallons of water to make. A pound of beef takes up to 5,000 gallons. More than 30 percent of California’s agricultural water use either directly or indirectly supports growing animals for food.

one of the single most effective actions to combat climate change would be if everyone in the world went vegetarian

[freshwest]

9. Thanks for those details. IDK about that hay but the animal stuff, yeah.

[MoonchildCA]

14. Absolutely.

Nobody talks about factory farming being the greatest threat to climate change.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

17. I heard there is a farm in S.Cal. that sells alfalfa to China. nt

[JaneyVee]

5. NOOOO! Cali avocados are a pretty major part of my weekly diet.

[RiverLover]

6. 4 out of ev 5 avocados sold in US are from Mexico, and most of those are "blood avocadoes"

So we will still have them unless Mexico is in drought as well...and we should feel fairly guilty for eating them!!

“Blood Avocados”: The Dark Side of Your Guacamole

A drug cartel known as the Knights Templar has brought kidnappings, murders, money laundering and fear to Mexico's prized avocado business.

http://www.vocativ.com/underworld/crime/avocado/

[LeftInTX]

7. Our's are all from Mexico

Didn't know the cartel connection

[RebelOne]

8. I lived in a rental house in Miami with an avocado tree

in the back yard. They were huge and would drop out of the tree and rot because I could not eat them all. I wish I had that tree today. Now it cost $1 for a puny avocado from Mexico or California. Florida avocados are 100% better than those pigmies.

[hunter]

10. That's okay, various manufacturers know how to make Guacamole out of factory farm food substances.

It's rather like a spicy green version of Cheez Wiz.

[RiverLover]

11. Oh jeez, that is just too gross. ~nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. Spicy green factory stuff, eh?

as in...soylent green???????

[bullwinkle428]

12. Better start putting money aside for your Super Bowl parties this year...

[Omaha Steve]

13. You just won on final Jeopardy

More avocado/guacamole is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year!!!

OS

[MoonchildCA]

16. We have a giant avocado growing in the adjacent yard...

...but half of it canopies our yard. We have about 10 dropping a day--more than we can possibly use.
No one waters that tree but it's so mature, the roots probably go down 20 feet.

It will continue producing for about 2 more months. I guess we better get our fill while we can.

[jamzrockz]

19. You do not where

avocados come from right? Its a tree plant and its not something you just stop growing because of the weather. You can maintain it even in years of drought and continue when you have better weather.

I somehow doubt that avocados will disappear from restaurant menu anytime soon. Business will just import it from countries and regions where there is no drought.