Do some crops waste water?
Californians are constantly reminded to conserve water. Becausethe water supply in California is so precious, certain crops are often targeted as beingwasteful of water. A crop should be evaluated on both its economic contribution andsocial value. For example, rice, alfalfa, cotton and irrigated pasture, plus the livestockand dairies they support, account for nearly one-third of all agricultural output in thestate. Crops such as rice and alfalfa provide valuable wildlife habitat andgrowing diverse crops can be invaluable to a farmer’s overall enterprise. Differentcrops use and return different nutrients to the soil and many crops are planted inrotation to provide to the soil balance and allow the land to regenerate. Somecrops, such as grains, are less water intensive per unit of production and therefore allowa farmer to keep more land in production when less water is allocated.
