Utah is facing a dangerous water crisis. The entire water crisis could be solved by just not growing alfalfa
Utah is facing a dangerous water crisis. The entire water crisis could be solved by just not growing alfalfa
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Okay, I'm not going to be mean, but this is an incredibly reductionist response to the issue.
it's like saying, oh, your power bill is too high? You could save so much money by just turning off grandma's respirator.
Like this infographic completely skips over why they would be growing alfalfa and hay.
Obviously, this is a big issue that needs to be solved, but you can't just say, "stop doing a single particular thing and it would all be fixed" without addressing why they are doing that thing in the first place and what other potential options they have, you know?
I'm not a shill for big alfalfa, I'm just saying that this single infographic does not tell the entire story.
Have you looked much into the issue or just this infographic? This article is from 2022, but illustrates the point that it does not add much to the economy but takes an outsized share of the water. Emphasis is mine.
Recent reports conclude that growing alfalfa and other kinds of hay sucks up 68% of the 5.1 million acre-feet of water diverted every year in Utah. The resulting crop, though it supports some farmers and their communities, amounts to 0.2% of the state’s annual gross domestic product. That’s about what amusement parks generate across the state.
Why it’s time for Utah to buy out alfalfa farmers and let the water flow, Editorial Board writes
Honestly, I hadn't looked into it, and you've provided a lot of really great context that would have been incredibly useful in the infographic posted.
More information is almost always better than less.
the reason why farmers are growing alfalfa in the desert is because the water rights are tied to how much water you use. if a farm uses less water, their water allowance will be reduced accordingly. this incentives them to waste water to make sure they maintain their preferential treatment.