In the Arizona desert in the southwest, water is life. It grows food that fills grocery stores across the country – even in the middle of winter.
Today, however, Arizona farms face unprecedented challenges, and our food supply hangs in balance.
Yuma County, Arizona, is known as “the capital of the winter salad world”. From November to March, this corner of the Sonoran Desert receives about 90% of the US -based leafy greens.
Romaine, Spinach, Kale and Spring Mix, grown in Yuma, fill the salad bowls from Boston to Seattle, when the fields in other parts of the country lie.
However, this vital food system is tense.
Arizona farmers, especially in Yumi, are very effective
Arizona is one of the fastest growing nations, and the cultivated land disappears according to the development of housing and industrial growth. Maricopa County is projected to lose more cultivated land than any other country, reports the American Farmland Trust.
At the same time, the Colorado River-Sintable Rescue line was stretched to its limits of drought and too much distribution. This led to fierce debate on how water should be divided between cities, farms and the environment.
Some claim that agriculture should tighten the belt and give water to the use of the city. But this argument misses a big picture.
Arizona farmers have been introducing innovations for decades to grow more with less. Nowhere is it clearer than in Yumi, where water from the Colorado River is used with special care.
Local farmers use high -tech irrigation systems, including field leveling through the global positioning system to remove water waste and use soil moisture sensors to use the required amount of water at the right time.
The result? Yuma growers produce more than 200,000 ares of crop each year, while the country has the highest percentage of water use efficiency. In some cases, one acre gets 50,000 salad heads during the winter season.
Data centers are important. But that is how food grows
Meanwhile, new players get into the water competition. Data Centers -Masic devices for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and electronic commercial housing servers consume millions of gallons of water to cool the day.
Although technology is vital to modern life, including food. And unlike many of these devices, farms return the water to the local cycle of fruits, vegetables and animals that feed on millions.
To be honest, some technology companies implement innovations. Microsoft has announced data centers for consuming water for cooling, while Amazon is trying to recycle water use. But these are exceptions, not the rule.
Opinion: Arizona’s leaders disagree on data centers. Are they worth the troubles?
We cannot afford to suppress a person’s basic need for food for the needs of technology.
It’s not just about Arizon. In order to disappear for local agricultural lands, food production changes abroad – often in places with weaker environmental and labor standards.
Today, the US imports more than half of fresh fruits and nearly a third of vegetables. That addiction grows every year.
The use of water here has national, global consequences
Imagine that you are addicted to foreign food as we were once oil from abroad. Drought, trading disorder or political crisis abroad can leave supermarket shelves bare and prices are rising.
The global climate must also be considered. When we bake on the land cultivated here, we do not eliminate the demand for food – we push it abroad, where it can contribute to the destruction of tropical forests and greater carbon discharges.
City preservation is critical and Arizona’s cities have made steps. However, it is also important to ensure that there is enough water on Arizona farms to grow food. Technology, innovation and intellectual policies can help us balance these needs.
If we allow Yuma’s salad fields to dry, the Americans will not lose the ability to use fresh, affordable greens in winter – they will lose the main part of the food safety of the nation.
We need a water policy that acknowledges the fundamental role of Arizona agriculture in feeding millions. Without it, we risk selling our “winter salad bowl” for an empty plate.
Tom Davis is the Director General of the Yuma County Water Consumer Association. Dan Keppen is the Executive Director of the Family Economy Alliance. Reach them by email. By email [email protected] and [email protected].
How is this column? Get more opinions on your email In the mailbox, by signing up to our free opinion newsletter, which announces Monday to Friday.
This article initially appeared in the Republic of Arizona: in Arizona it loses water and cultivated land. Who will feed America? | Opinion