Commentary by Mike Wade, Executive Director of the California Farm Water Coalition
Water, the essence of life, is an indispensable resource intricately woven into the fabric of our daily existence. From the food on our plates to the gadgets in our hands, water silently plays a pivotal role in the creation of almost everything we encounter.
In a world where water scarcity is a looming concern, it is essential to explore the profound impact of water in the production of goods and services that shape our lives as well as the food we feed our families.
Criticism often falls on agriculture for its water use. Consumers in California face limits of 55 gallons per person, per day in allowable indoor water use. It isn’t surprising that they might react negatively when confronted with the fact that more than 800 gallons of water is needed to grow the food one person consumes in one day.
However, food is something we literally cannot live without. In addition, it’s crucial to recognize that the end user of farm water is not farmers but consumers. Whether you’re shopping for the items in a chicken fajita recipe, a bunch of broccoli or a carton of ice cream, you’re carrying water home from the farm.
Take a moment to consider a cup of coffee, a staple in many people’s mornings.
The water footprint of a single cup of coffee is estimated to be around 37 gallons. Spaghetti sauce with ground beef, garlic, oregano, onion and basil adds up to about 365 gallons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. A serving of rice and beans requires around 65 gallons of water to produce, and the fruit in a fruit medley needs 71 gallons of water.
From a statewide perspective, the total amount of water in the food consumed by California’s roughly 40 million people exceeds the entire amount of water devoted to the state’s irrigated agriculture industry.
A little over 25 million acre-feet of water is consumptively used to […]
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