Water Crisis in California: Lack of Almonds, Unemployment rates and trees being cut down as a result By Bobby Lui

Outline I. Introduction Of the Drought A. Definition B. Demographics II. Causes/Effects (Farming) A. Unemployment B. Cutting Down Trees (Almonds) C. Economic Losses III. Solutions Small Scale Irrigation Strategies IV. Conclusion

What is a Drought? A drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall resulting in a shortage of water needed to irrigate crops and farming. (Live Science)

Demographics

Annual Precipitation Per Year CityYearly Normal 2013 to date Percentage Of Normal Los Angeles San Diego San Jose San Francisco Fresno Sacramento

Causes Of The Drought Lack Of Rainfall over a period of time Using too much water in daily lives Lack of Moisture Climate changes Lack Of Water in river systems and reservoirs

The Movement Of Water (Hydrologic Cycle)

Almond Farming (General Facts) Known as America’s #1 Export They are 100% reliant on wild bees and honey bees for crop pollination In other words, no bees= no almonds Almonds were one of the first foods awarded a qualified health claim in the US They grow in a standard climate environments, hot in summer, cool in winter.

Almond Farming (General Facts)

Unemployment Rates With the current drought, many almond farmers are unable to grow their products, resulting in a loss of income. Payrolls have been cut down by more than thirty percent. Drought has threatened more than fifty percent of farm workers incomes Many farmers are rely on income to support their families

Eliminating Trees Because of the drought, many almond farmers are forced to eliminate more than half of their trees. Barry Baker, a farmer in Mendota, claims that he had to remove eighty percent (4,000) of his trees due to lack of water supply. Due to this, grocery stores will not be able to receive almonds to sell to consumers, resulting income loss.

Economic losses Profit has been lost for trees being cut down. Berry Baker, farmer in Mendota has lost at least $10 million dollars in revenues for trees he was forced to cut down

There Is Still Hope! Small Scale Water Conservation techniques By turning off unused water faucets, you are actually saving more than one gallon of water. Also, limiting the time for showers also helps.

Surface/Furrow Irrigation Requires less energy in pumping tool provides almond farmers with a sufficient amount of water to irrigate their crops through rivers rather than using the city’s water supply

Drip Irrigation how drip irrigation provides water ONLY where places are needed Farmers able to produce more healthier almonds as a result

Micro Sprinklers ability to distribute water through a large surface. almond farmers are now able to produce more crops as well as track their water usage more efficiently through a metric system

Minor Flaws Still not enough water needed Furrow irrigation requires more water than drip. Drip irrigation associated methods not adequately tested

Conclusion Water is essential in our daily lives. Although these methods may not be perfect, it is the best way at this point to benefit farmers.

THE END Questions?