{"id":4702,"date":"2015-01-22T13:20:07","date_gmt":"2015-01-22T17:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/?p=4702"},"modified":"2025-06-11T13:01:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T17:01:56","slug":"full-belly-farm-the-model-for-what-innovation-means-in-times-of-drought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/growingreturns\/2015\/01\/22\/full-belly-farm-the-model-for-what-innovation-means-in-times-of-drought\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Belly Farm: The model for innovation during drought"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Credit: Paulo Vescia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s not always easy to incentivize private landowners to voluntarily implement water efficiency and conservation measures, particularly when there\u2019s a drought. When drought hits, farmers desperately need water to grow thirsty crops and remain profitable. In the near term, it\u2019s a lot easier, as \u201c60 Minutes\u201d recently reported<\/a>, to keep drilling deeper and deeper to access quickly dwindling groundwater \u2013 at any cost.<\/p>\n

As the “60 Minutes” story notes, groundwater is like a savings account that should primarily be used in times of need to supplement surface water supplies. With the most severe drought ever on record and surface water supplies at an all-time low, farmers all across California are pumping groundwater in record amounts \u2013 putting the state in serious risk of widespread groundwater overdraft.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the case of Full Belly Farm<\/a>, a 400-acre, 30-year old certified organic farm located in Northern California \u2013 and recent winner<\/a> of the prestigious Leopold Conservation Award<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 is especially impressive.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Full Belly Farm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Halting depletion<\/strong><\/p>\n

The growers at Full Belly Farm are maximizing soil health and making sure nutrients are replenished through compost application \u2013 which allows the soil to retain more water and have better seepage. This in turn leads to better groundwater replenishment and prevention of aquifer depletion.<\/p>\n

Maximizing soil health <\/strong><\/p>\n

While the average soil organic matter in California\u2019s Central Valley is 0.7 percent, Full Belly\u2019s soils have an average of 3 percent soil organic matter. This can be attributed to rotating crops, using cover crops during the off season, and applying compost, all of which contribute to healthy soils<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cover crops<\/a> not only can help increase famers\u2019 yield, but they also reduce soil erosion, increase organic matter in the soil, and prevent nutrient loss by holding on to nitrogen and phosphorous that might otherwise run off into our waterways.<\/p>\n

During the growing season, water efficiency also plays a key role \u2013 90 percent of the farm\u2019s crops are watered using drip irrigation, and many use buried drip systems that lose less water to evaporation than traditional systems.<\/p>\n

Voluntary measures<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Credit: Full Belly Farm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But that\u2019s not the only way Full Belly is a conservation leader. Here\u2019s what else they\u2019re doing:<\/p>\n