“ SGMA will have devastating impacts on agriculture , farming , and the state as a whole ,” says Roger Isom , CEO of Western Agricultural Processors Association , who predicts a million acres of farmland in San Joaquin Valley may end up fallowed . That represents one-fifth of all acreage currently under cultivation in the Valley . In discussing the drought / water / food conundrum , the Los Angeles Times reported , “ Growers are taking part in a multimillion-dollar program in which they are paid ( approximately $ 900 an acre ) to leave a portion of their lands dry and unplanted with that intended agricultural water going to help resupply Lake Mead , the largest reservoir in the country .” Even though it only has four percent of the country ’ s farms ( about 75,000 ), California is America ’ s largest food producer with 450 different crops , supplying the rest of the country with 40 percent of its food . Slate magazine once asked , “ If we didn ’ t have California , what would we eat ? No other state , or combination of states , can match California ’ s output per acre .” But if the major producers ’ supplies are shrinking and that basket of store-bought edibles is getting smaller , consideration has to be given to growing your own food . While seasonality ( and triple-digit temperatures ) limit summertime gardens in
the arid western U . S . and winter snow , ice , and sub-zero temps are prohibitive in the east , some items can be homegrown to augment the larder . During the time of World Wars I and II , they were called Victory Gardens . “ Sow the seeds of victory ” read the advertising as a food crisis emerged in Europe when farms were transformed into battlefields and the burden of feeding millions fell on the U . S . Americans were urged to utilise idle land and turn it into agricultural production . Millions of new garden plots appeared as commercial crops were diverted to the military , and domestic food rationing was introduced . Families were encouraged to can their own vegetables to save commercial goods for the military . By 1944 , an estimated 20 million Victory Gardens were producing 8-10 million tons of food , then representing some 40 percent of all fresh fruits and vegetables consumed in the U . S . Even today , when that campaign is no longer being promoted , you can still buy enough non-GMO heirloom seeds in a Victory Garden Seed Vault to yield between 7,500 and 10,000 pounds of veggies . Today ’ s growers plant what might now be called Survival Gardens , be it in patio container gardens , in-the-bag gardening , raised-bed gardening , or actual in-ground plots .
NO FOOD .
IN CALIFORNIA
During the early stages of the COVID-19 global pandemic , millions of people planted gardens for the first time , fearing disruptions in the food supply chain . While the pandemic may be waning , direct impacts from climate change on farming are becoming tangible . We may not want to turn away from those personal food-producing garden beds just yet .
“ IT ’ S ANTICIPATED THAT SGMA WILL FORCE UP TO ONE MILLION ACRES OF FARMLAND OUT OF PRODUCTION .”
Maximum Yield 53