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Water shortage in the usa
Water shortage in the usa
Water shortage in the usa
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Almonds form part of the cash crops grown in California. Almonds are used as ingredients in making
pastry and also as a milk supplement. The region is one of the suppliers of the commodity and many other
states, and outside countries depend on its almond yield. However, the growing of this crop is currently
hindered by the prolonged drought that is entering its fourth year. Both the farmers and the residents are
worried of the phenomenon that has led to the shortage of water for the agricultural and domestic
activities. Nevertheless, there is much concern on the quantity of water that is required to grow almonds
(2). The almond plantations need a lot of water, and everyone is concerned of how to reduce such
consumption so as to help
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The concerned authorities should advocate for the building of dams to allow for the collection
of rainwater that usually go into waste through runoffs. Such stored resource would be valuable whenever
the rains stop (1). Moreover, the farmers should adopt water retention practices such as the creation of
terraces in the mountainous terrains so as to reduce the rate of surface runoffs. That could also imply that
they keep the soil perforated during the rainy season to allow for the abundant absorption of water into the
ground for future use (2). The water runoffs from other regions should also be channeled into the almonds
plantations to help reduce the demand for the fresh water for irrigation.
Furthermore, the farmers can enrich the soil by the use of compost manure that often improves the soil
moisture retention ability. Such a move will also help reduce the quantity of water for irrigation. Also, it
is possible for the farmers to minimize the use of water for irrigation by identifying the stages when the
plants require a lot of water (2). That would mean that the only irrigate the plantations when the
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Overall, the almond farmers in California can significantly contribute towards the conservation of water
during the drought by practicing agriculture in a manner that their crops only require a minimal amount of
water for growth. They can again introduce water and moisture retention techniques in their forms. For
example, they could do mulching, use drip irrigation, using domestic wastewater, and by applying a
limited amount of water in the farms to allow the crops to adapt to the new situation by growing their
roots deep into the soil in search of moisture. There is also the need to trap rainwater and channel the
same to the plantations. Building terraces might also contribute to water retention by minimizing the
runoffs. On the other hand, the agricultural authorities could encourage the farmers to resort to growing
other crops that are either drought resistant or only require a minimal amount of water for irrigation.
Lastly, it might be necessary to reduce the supply of water to the almond farmers so as to force them to
adopt the best agricultural practices that would ensure that they only require a little water for
The effect of water quality on Vegetative measurements and photosynthesis indices of the trees are presented in Table 1. No significant differences were found between parameters: gs, shoot number in both years, but others were higher in RW application. Height of trees and leaf area in first year was not significant but in second year it increased by 42 and 29% respectively in application RW. Photosynthesis rate appears significantly higher (23.4 µmol m−2 s−1) in plants receiving recycle water than clean water.
Landscaping techniques, such as drip irrigation and xeriscaping can reduce California's use of water immensely. Eighty Percent of the state’s developed water supply is used on agriculture, but much of that eighty percent is wasted because of sprinkler systems. The water sprayed from sprinkler systems often evaporates, and more water is wasted to water the plants. A drip system is specifically placed at each plant and lets the water seep into the roots, so no water can be wasted through evaporation. This would require less water to be used on plants, because more is actually reaching the roots, saving the rest of the water for California. Xeriscaping is a type of “dry landscaping.” This means that materials and plants, such as native plants, succulents, gravel, and water flowers are used to design a beautiful outdoor space, instead of using grass which consumes an average of about fifty-seven inches of rain per year. Grass needs to be watered frequently, using up California’s water supply, but a dry landscape would use little to no water, benefiting California. Farmers and Homeowners can employ these landscaping techniques to reduce the use of California...
The drought along with the dust storms as stated already made it impossible to plant crops, it also made it very difficult to provide food for the farmers and their families. If you could not plant anything, you did not have food for animals and you did not have food for families or children that needed it desperately. There was a sudden urgency of concern once farmers could not feed their family and members of those families started to starve.
As Jensen points out, farming and industry accounts for the vast majority of total water usage in the world (477). The increasingly scarce resource is a necessary ingredient when growing food. Technology continuously improves to make it easier for farmers to grow crops while using less water. Scientists at the University of Georgia utilize what they term “variable rate irrigation” to let farmers automate the current systems of irrigation to water only the crops that need it (Gies). This is an example of retrofitting current farms, but there is a new way of farming coming to cities that reuses practically all of its water and stakes claim much less acreage in the process. The future of agriculture belongs to vertical and urban farming. These types of farms reduce the use of water, chemicals (such as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides), soil and space (The Economist). These farms are so cutting edge that they are mostly in the experimental stages. Firms like Famgro farms are testing “stackable” farming systems that can scale with demand, even further reducing waste. Famgro’s stackable farms are ideal for cityscapes where land is at a premium; furthermore, reaping the added benefit of being in close proximity to the customers that they serve. Customers will enjoy high quality, fresh produce at only a slightly
As the empire expanded, there was a need for more farmland, but there was not always a water source available. The Incas grew corn, cotton and squash. Garciasco de la Vega, speaking about the farming in the Incan Empire, said, “The engineers showed great cleverness and skill in supplying water for the crops since only scattered sections of the land could grow corn” (Document 4). Their success with irrigation helped them expand their empire. Without it, it would be more difficult for them to subsist in a growing empire.
Farmers and ranchers who own water rights should have their water amount filled earlier in order to facilitate themselves with the proper amount of water. They should not be restricted to a smaller prearranged amount of water each year. Water us...
For some people irrigation systems may not sound interesting or useful, however; they play a huge role in keeping produce alive and well-watered. Be...
grow and be harvested all yearround", which will multiply the annual food harvest by four
Such efficiency will allow for a mass amount of crop production through less water use and provide Mother Nature with enough time to restore what is used in a natural manner, thus disproving Hardin’s fear of running out of the most essential natural resource, water (Gul).
The weather in this novel controls their crops and the river flow; which controls their food and water supply. They depend on adequate rainfall to help their crops to grow and for the river to be full. They also depend on the sun to warm things up and make the crops grow. However, if there is too much rain or too much sun it can cause many problems, such as a drought or a flood. These things are significant in this novel, because t...
The distribution of water to the farmers should be managed properly by using some kind of rotation system such as wara bandi.
crop. We spread slurry from the sheep shed and cattle shed and fertilisers such as 10-10-20,
Trees help complete the water cycle by returning water vapour back in the atmosphere.
Sandra Postel, on the other hand, has a different opinion than Danielle’s. She proposed that “without increasing water productivity in irrigation, major food-producing regions will not have enough water to sustain crop production”.
Global warming is one of the main causes, which leads to the lack of water and drought. A drought-like condition exists in most of India’s part. Government of India states that 68% of the country is disposed to the drought, which (consequences are) leads to massive migration of people to more favorable places, famine, conflicts among inhabitants. India is known in the world as one of the biggest producers of water-intensive crops such as rice, sugarcane and wheat. According to a survey done by Grail Research, approximately 82% of total water is used for agricultural consumption and 90% of it is employed for irrigation of rice, wheat and sugarcane (Grail Research, LLC, 2009). There are several solutions which could lead to the decr...