Jutta Thoerner is an outspoken advocate of the age-old practice of dry-farming – relying only on rain water, California’s four-year drought notwithstanding, says public broadcaster KQED. “Actually, lots of crops are dry-farmed across the state,” the station added. “Wheat and grapes are common, and there are tomatoes on the Central Coast, squash in Humboldt and potatoes in Marin.” Located in San Luis Obispo County, Thoerner says dry farming is a good fit with coastal or foggy areas. At her walnut orchard, the trees are spaced farther apart than in an irrigated grove and she grafts a walnut variety that produces a tasty nut with a deep-rooting variety. Still, yields are down due to drought.
Another farmer in the area, Mike Cirone says dry farming yields smaller and tastier apricots and apples. “If you pump ’em all up, they tend to all taste the same,” Cirone told KQED. He has dry-farmed for three decades.
In related news, illegal cultivation of marijuana “is hitting California where it hurts, such as in sensitive watersheds already stressed by the state’s ongoing drought,” says UC-Berkeley. “Networks of pipes and hoses siphon water directly from small streams to irrigate the crops, draining what little water there is for wildlife and plants.” Berkeley researchers co-authored a paper on the effects of marijuana growers, who primarily plant their crop in remote, forested areas. In California’s north coast region, 22 liters, or 5.8 gallons, of water can be used daily per plant. On a square kilometer basis, marijuana can use twice as much water as wine grapes, according to the researchers.