A group of very highly educated researchers, which says in its organizational overview that, “Our aim is to find real-world solutions to problems like water shortages, habitat destruction, global warming, and environmental injustice.” has apparently encountered the real-world of farmers in this story from the Woodland Daily Democrat.
An expert.
“Claims that California farmers can conserve more than 4-million acre-feet of water in a report scheduled for release this week lack any relationship to reality, according to the largest farm water organization in the state.
“The report was compiled by the Pacific Institute, which issued a similar report last year that was heavily criticized by representatives from the University of California and California State University systems.
“The assertion that California farmers can conserve 4-million acre-feet of water is absurd and borders on pie in the sky reasoning. The report clearly demonstrates that its authors lack a thorough understanding of California agriculture or the markets that our farmers serve around the world.
“The report, for example, calls for a shift from field crops to vegetable crops. This scenario totally ignores market demands, which are the things that dictate what crops a farmer grows.
“If our farmers follow the institute's suggestion then grocery stores would be glutted with more vegetables than anyone wants to buy. Prices would collapse and the crops would be wasted. This new report bears no resemblance to reality.”
