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Consumers benefit from farmers’ efficient water use and conservation

California farmers and consumers are in for a rocky road in 2008 as water becomes scarcer than ever. It will likely mean more water conservation in cities and on farms. It will also mean fallowed fields, water transfers and greater farmer reliance on groundwater. The dire water year is rooted in lingering drought and the water supply cutbacks imposed by a federal judge last August to help listed fish species.

As urban residents face greater conservation measures this year, eyes will be on rural water users. The water watch will likely place farmers and ranchers under greater scrutiny. Farmers who receive state and federal surface water through aqueducts and canals have been frequent targets over the years by organizations like the Environmental Working Group.

Frequently, the EWG blasts growers that receive water from the federal Central Valley Project, a network of reservoirs and canals that they describe as the "largest taxpayer-funded federal irrigation system in the country."

Many people have bought on to the myth that these farmers have caught a big break with subsidized irrigation water. The current debate in Sacramento about fixing the state's water system hinges on the need for additional storage. Some lawmakers think that rather than build new dams, Californians should conserve more to satisfy future water needs. They think farmers already have plenty of water and that they, too, should conserve.

The dim notion that some have of agriculture's water use is ill conceived. Environmental activists and some legislators ignore the ultimate beneficiary of farmers' efficient water use and on-farm conservation - consumers.

Water that flows to farms and ranches helps grow more than $31 billion in high-quality, affordable food, fiber, flowers and forest products. But the state's vast array of crops and farm commodities is not possible without water. According to the California Farm Water Coalition, it takes more than 894 gallons of water to produce a daily serving of food for the average California consumer.

As water has become more limited and costly over the years, farmers have employed greater levels of conservation and irrigation technology. Today, they are producing more food with less water than ever. There's greater use of micro-sprinklers, drip irrigation and drip tape. It is difficult to find almond orchards and winegrape vineyards that don't use drip irrigation. Many farmers recycle and reuse irrigation water - from the Central Valley to the state's southern desert regions. Even some growers of cotton, a crop that groups like the Environmental Working Group have assailed as a water hog, use drip tape to conserve water.

This year will likely require sacrifices by urban and rural residents to deal with looming water shortages. Farmers will do their part as they have always done.

But no one should believe in the folly that conservation alone, this year or any year, will solve our state's serious water fix. No doubt, conservation is key. Farmers will apply every measure of conservation this season to stretch limited water supplies, but if consumers want a diverse supply of high-quality, affordable home-grown food, we'll need to invest in new water storage and other neglected improvements to the state's water system. If we don't, the pain of water-short years like 2008 will likely become permanent.

Bob Krauter is the California editor based in Sacramento. E-mail: bkrauter@capitalpress.com.