California Ag Water Supply: Challenges and Ways Forward

Where does our water come from? How is that going to change in the future? What are the guiding state regulations, and can we count on them? How must agriculture adapt, and who can help? The waterscape is changing as groundwater levels are depleted, as climate change brings more extreme events such as droughts and floods, and as the state attempts to manage water in more sustainable ways. The geology of water storage and movement—as well as the politics of water distribution and the changing face of water availability—are affecting agriculture now and will impact the future. However, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the Department of Water Resources, and others are offering programs to help growers adapt.