California's Drought Threatens Food Production in 2022 With Water Cuts
- Farmers brace for another dry year after record-breaking 2021
- Processed tomato prices increased 22% in three-month period
An abandoned pomegranate orchard during a drought in Firebaugh, California, on July 13.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
California farmers who struggled to make it through record-breaking drought and heat in 2021 are bracing for another bad year, this time without any additional water from the state.
The state said it won’t give any water from the State Water Project to farmers unless drought conditions improve. That could mean even higher food prices at a time when consumers are struggling with an ongoing pandemic and inflation across the board.