Excerpt
SUMMARY: The almond, America’s most popular nut and California's most lucrative agriculture export, is also a water guzzler. It takes approximately a gallon of water to grow a single almond. While prices are at record highs due to global demand, the Golden State is also in the middle of a historic drought, which is hurting farmers and residents. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.
JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour): In California, Governor Jerry Brown called this week for ramping up fines for residents and businesses who waste water.
But in this fourth year of the drought, many are asking about the role of some agriculture and farming.
One of the chief targets is one of the state’s most popular exports. Our economics correspondent, Paul Solman, went to see for himself. Part of our ongoing reporting “Making Sense” which airs every Thursday on the NewsHour.
PAUL SOLMAN (NewsHour): The almond. Revered in some cultures, reviled recently in ours.
Because of almonds, there’s no water.
JOHN AND KEN RADIO SHOW: The almond farmers are using more water than all the people in LA and San Francisco combined.
PAUL SOLMAN: The John and Ken Show, in Southern California, claims to be the country’s most listened to local talk radio program.
JOHN AND KEN RADIO SHOW: Half the almonds they’re shipping to China! And this is why we’re getting water meters and we’re getting lectured and scolded and we gotta take shorter showers and we can’t water our lawns. This is BS!
PAUL SOLMAN: It was Mother Jones magazine which first reported the stunning statistic: It takes over a gallon of water to grow just one almond.
The press has piled on since, portraying almonds as water wasters in the midst of near-epic drought. And it’s not just the almond, but every nut in the orchard.
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