Mandatory Water Restrictions: The Impact On Agriculture

If you eat, you are involved in agriculture. The mandatory restrictions on water use that California Gov. Jerry Brown announced yesterday promise to have a major impact on the state’s agriculture sector and the things we eat, the extent of which is yet to be determined. Water emergency edicts and voluntary restraints have been in place for some time now, but mandatory across the board restriction of 25% reduction of users of water for lawns, golf courses, commercial entities and agriculture backed by fines is another whole matter.

The situation in California followed by the mandatory restrictions means California is headed into uncharted waters (no pun intended) that promises to have unintended consequences. There is nothing like a crisis or fear of one to bring people together. Even the Republican majority leader in the state legislature is supportive of the Democratic governor’s actions. Tough decisions will have to be made to discern the importance of saving a small fish or insect that may or may not have an effect on the overall ecosystem, and the importance of ample food supplies and the economic/psychological impacts that will result.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jerrygul...n-agriculture/


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