California to pay farmers to repurpose idle land in bid to avert dust bowl

Farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, the nation’s top-producing agricultural region, are being forced to abandon fertile land because they can’t pump enough water during one of the state’s worst-ever droughts.

“It’s just sad to look at, it’s sad to see,” Erik Herman, who uprooted tens of thousands of fruit and nut trees across 300 acres, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “But it’s what has to be done. There’s not enough water to pump to keep them alive.”

As droughts grow longer and more severe, California also implemented the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which is designed to stop residents from depleting aquifers. A 2019 analysis from the Public Policy Institute of California suggests that San Joaquin Valley farmers could be forced to give up 750,000 acres of land, the equivalent of about 1 million football fields. Farmers and environmentalists are concerned the dirt lots could generate dust, weeds and pests.

Governor Gavin Newsom and legislators have set aside $50 million in the state budget to help farmers repurpose fallow land for new uses. The state is drafting rules for the program, which could launch in early 2022.

“We’re already seeing signs pointing toward a future dust bowl for the Valley,” Ann Hayden, who specializes in climate-resilient water systems for the Environmental Defense Fund, told the Chronicle. “We want to create a different future, where communities are enjoying the air quality and the water quality that they deserve.”

Under the new program, local irrigation districts or municipalities will receive block grants that would have to be distributed to help farmers convert fallow land into ways to improve air quality, conserve water or provide community benefits.

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