Can You Guess How Many Gallons of Water It Took to Grow the Avocado in Your Guacamole?
So we know that avocados should have gone extinct millions of years ago, but how about how much water it takes to grow a single of these creamy green fruits?
According to Mother Jones, avocados and almonds are pretty much guilty pleasures when you think about how much of drought-ridden California's water it takes to grow them. sean dreilinger (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
So we know that avocados should have gone extinct millions of years ago, but how about how much water it takes to grow a single of these creamy green fruits?
Mother Jones:
US consumers certainly love this unctuous tropical fruit. According to the US Department of Agriculture, per capita avocado production jumped from 1.1 pounds annually in 1999 to 4.5 pounds in 2011.
Avocados don’t require nearly as much water per pound as almonds. But they do require significantly more than other kinds of produce…And as in the case of almonds and so many other crops, California dominates US production, accounting for about 90 percent of the US avocado harvest. Nearly all of it takes place in southern California, in a five-county region that straddles the coast from San Luis Obispo to San Diego.
Like the rest of the state, the southern coastal region is locked in a drought, and largely cut off from the flow of surface water from the state’s big irrigation projects. The result has been strife in the avocado groves—sky-high water costs and a reliance on water pumped from underground aquifers.
—Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata
Dig, Root, GrowThis year, we’re all on shaky ground, and the need for independent journalism has never been greater. A new administration is openly attacking free press — and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Your support is more than a donation. It helps us dig deeper into hidden truths, root out corruption and misinformation, and grow an informed, resilient community.
Independent journalism like Truthdig doesn't just report the news — it helps cultivate a better future.
Your tax-deductible gift powers fearless reporting and uncompromising analysis. Together, we can protect democracy and expose the stories that must be told.
This spring, stand with our journalists.
Dig. Root. Grow. Cultivate a better future.
Donate today.
Health & Wellness
Who’s covered under California’s $175 billion Medicaid program, and what might get cut?
Editorial Cartoons
Labor
The evidence is in: Minimum wage hikes tend to have little to no effect on employment, but can raise the wages of hundreds of thousands of workers.
Race
In California, an approach to Black reparations based on land access, ownership and stewardship.
Prison Reform
A tale of two states and the future of “involuntary servitude” in the West.
Economic Justice
The law, designed to protect consumers from financial aftereffects of a medical emergency, goes into effect in January.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.