Embarking on a field trip can often feel like stepping into a storybook, especially when the narrative and scenery revolve around transforming landscapes. This feeling was palpable last November when the Environmental Defense Fund organized a trip to Merced and Stanislaus Counties in California. The journey wasn’t just a tour; it was a vivid illustration of how multi-benefit land repurposing (MLRP) is bolstering groundwater sustainability in areas hardest hit by climate change. Read More
On the Water Front
Selected tag(s): colorado river
Fields of Innovation: A Trip Showcasing Multi-Benefit Land Repurposing
Posted in Agriculture, California, Community, Drought, Groundwater Also tagged california drought, california land repurposing, california water, california water funding, california water manager, community resilience, groundwater, SGMA, water conservation, water security, water use Leave a comment
Revisiting a centuries-old approach to farming that embraces water scarcity.
As discussions at COP28 wrestle with climate impacts on global food and water security, we hear from a Hopi farmer on his thriving practice of dry farming and his hopes for shared learning in Dubai.
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The arid climate of the Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona receives a mere 8.5 inches of annual rainfall. For perspective, the yearly United States average is 30 inches. Despite this severe aridity, for over 3,000 years, the Hopi people have stewarded an extraordinary agricultural tradition centered on dry farming.
Dr. Michael Kotutwa Johnson is an Indigenous Resiliency Specialist at the University of Arizona and a leading practitioner of Hopi dry farming — a form of agriculture that eschews irrigation in regions with limited water moisture. As a 250th-generation Hopi dry farmer, his ongoing traditional practices are a testament to the power of cultural values and the potential of climate-adaptive farming. These ongoing Hopi farming practices defy modern notions of crop needs and vulnerability in areas with limited irrigation and water supply. Read More
Posted in Agriculture, Arizona, Colorado River, Community Also tagged agriculture, Arizona, arizona drought, arizona groundwater, community resilience, drought, Dry Farming, groundwater, Indigenous, water conservation, water use Leave a comment
Water is a high-level priority at COP 28, we need to look to ground-level users for solutions
Water has finally reached the highest levels of global climate negotiations. The path to a sustainable freshwater future, however, lies with ground-level users. At COP 28, EDF is elevating their voices, their needs and the approaches they find most useful.
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While greenhouse gases drive climate change, many of its impacts are inherently liquid. Whether through drought, flood, sea-level rise, or contamination, water increasingly forms the turbulent core of the climate crisis.
Over the past year, this basic reality was finally acknowledged at the global planning table. Thanks to a strong push from its Egyptian hosts, last year’s edition of the main UN climate conference, COP 27, made water a central theme. The cover decision — the summation of the conference’s key agreements — featured water and food for the first time. The decision acknowledged the central role of water in countering climate impacts and called for water-related targets in national climate planning.
Posted in Agriculture, Community, COP, Drought, Groundwater, Land Repurposing Also tagged agriculture, COP, COP28, drought, Food Systems, groundwater, groundwater management, water conservation, water security, water use Leave a comment
Learning from shared scarcity: the Colorado River, the Yellow River and the world
One of the largest rivers in the world struggles to reach the ocean. Spread across a huge slice of a continent, its basin supports millions. Yet the weight of its work to irrigate and power booming farms and cities in an increasingly arid zone is straining the river to a breaking point. For many working in the western water space, this describes the Colorado. A river whose over-work and over-allocation, despite its fundamental role in sustaining life for half a continent, seems in many ways singular.
Posted in Agriculture, Colorado River, Community, Drought, Groundwater Also tagged china yellow river, drought, groundwater, water security, water use, yellow river Leave a comment
The Phoenix area can no longer grow on groundwater. What does this mean for Arizona?
Last week Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) released a new analysis of groundwater in the Phoenix metro area. News broke around the country with headlines questioning the viability of future development in the region. But, what does this new analysis actually mean for Arizona? Let’s dive in.
Posted in Agriculture, Arizona, Colorado River, Community, Drought, Groundwater Also tagged Arizona, arizona drought, arizona groundwater, drought, water conservation, water use Leave a comment
EDF and partners launch interactive Grand Canyon website
A new website from EDF, American Rivers, and Four Corners Mapping provides a special look at the Grand Canyon through an educational, interactive journey. The interactive tool invites people to take a tour through the Grand Canyon and learn how the complexities of the Colorado River crisis impact the Grand Canyon and its surrounding communities and ecosystems through words, images, and short videos. Read More
Posted in Arizona, Colorado River, Community, Drought, Groundwater, Uncategorized Also tagged Arizona, drought, groundwater, water use Leave a comment