Philpott, Tom. "Invasion of the Hedge Fund Almonds." Mother Jones. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/01/california-drought-almonds-water-use>.

                                                                                                                                 Harry Vollmer

"Invasion of the Hedge Fund Almonds"

California is in the midst of an unprecedented drought, which is putting tremendous strains on agriculture and safe drinking water. One sector which is being particularly affected is the almond industry. In “California Goes Nuts”, an article by Tom Philpott in Mother Jones, the author describes conditions on a California almond farm. The journalist explains that almond farming is a very water intensive form of agriculture, and increasing global demand for almonds is putting pressure on California’s scarce water resources.

Philpott visited an almond farm where the owner explained that he is shifting his grape production to almonds due to higher profitability. According to the article, almonds, which are mostly produced in california, are the U.S.’s #1 export and have a market which is worth about $4.8 billion per year. One reason almonds have had such a large spike in popularity is due to it being high in Protein/Fat and low in Carbohydrates, making it popular across many diets. The article claims that that it takes one gallon of water to grow a single almond and that there are about 48,000 acres of almond farms (about three times the size of Manhattan). The drought is also making it necessary for wells to be deepened, which can cause a potential health threat as the water deeper in these aquifers can contain up to three times the EPA’s arsenic limit. Some people fear that corporate farms are putting the needs of agriculture ahead of safe drinking water.

This drought in California is being worsened by our over-exploitation of California’s resources for corporate benefit. Coping with this drought will require politicians to work with engineers and scientists who using their knowledge of Earth Science, outline some possible solutions. Lawmakers will also need to create stricter rules on underground water usage. This would require bipartisan cooperation between lawmakers and scientists. These restrictions and plans would help the public decide on how to allocate scarce water resources. In addition it would help keep wells safe and improve water quality.

This article is in-depth and goes into many details about the almond industry in California and its impacts on the geography and the health of certain Californians. I liked that it used lots of evidence and was fact based. I did not like the fact that this article appealed more to the political aspects of the controversy. I would have preferred if it focused either on just the growth of the almond industry in California and how it should be regulated or it’s impact on the drought and how the drought will be solved.