Killing California for a Snack

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Water usage in CA ag has always been crazy.

Cost of water has been subsidized by BLM and Bureau of Reclamation so extensively that huge farms have grown up to take advantage of water which is sometimes ~90% paid for by taxpayers.

I wouldn't dismiss either pistachios or almonds as a "snack" -- they are an important part of many diets, especially Middle Eastern, vegan, and vegetarian. But crops, in general, should be grown where there is water for them. Big ag in CA has actually used water from huge water projects to grow alfalfa, and pasturage for horses -- very inefficient choices. And because it's all so heavily subsidized, big owners get obscenely rich because they're only paying a fraction of the real costs.