These farms play an important role in the economic health of California and the Desert Southwest. However, their water rights and consumption are increasingly at odds with the massive growth in the area. Farming will have to give up even more as his seven states in the Colorado River Basin seek to protect the river.

The American Southwest has been farmed for thousands of years. But it wasn’t until 1901 that the first irrigation water from the Colorado River reached Imperial County, California. In Imperial County, summer temperatures typically reach 110 degrees Celsius with little rainfall. Ten years later, irrigation brought water from the Colorado River to Yuma, Arizona.

Even 100 years ago, farmers and other settlers were used to the fact that the Colorado River was not endless. So in 1922 he had seven states sign the Colorado River Accord, dividing the river’s course. The agreement was intended to override the state legal doctrine developed during the California gold rush, which essentially gave water rights to the first to use it.

Agriculture provided most of the water rights in the region, as the desert was still sparsely populated and most of those who needed water were engaged in growing crops and raising livestock. This imbalance persists despite population explosions in cities in the southwest. As reservoirs such as Lake Mead become scarcer, these older water users are the last to see their quotas cut. This is a situation that does not necessarily encourage conservation by those who have the right to make the most of water.

Today, about 500,000 acres in and around Imperial County are irrigated, much of the land is devoted to growing alfalfa and other forages, and California’s dairy industry is the largest in the United States. Growing fodder in desert climates requires large amounts of water. The Imperial Irrigation District is the largest user of the Colorado River’s water, more than the entire state of Arizona, including golf courses, consumes.

In Arizona, farmers in and around Yuma are also Colorado’s top users, growing 90% of the U.S. and Canada’s winter leafy vegetable supply, among other crops. Salads in January are in short supply in North America and much more expensive without them.

Lettuce isn’t the only thing that grows in the desert. Population growth across the Southwest has outpaced national growth rates for decades, building him one of the most prosperous and thirsty regions in the country, from Phoenix to San Diego. Meanwhile, climate change and decades of drought are wreaking havoc in Colorado, depleting reservoirs such as Lake Mead and forcing regulators to demand farmers and cities to reduce water use. .

In 2021, the federal government declared a Lake Mead shortage, forcing Arizona to limit or even terminate the allocation of the Colorado River to certain agricultural areas. Farmers with access to groundwater can still work on their land. But those less fortunate are not cultivating arable land, affecting livelihoods, communities, and ultimately consumers of crops. violates regulations requiring 100 years of water supply before a building permit is granted. Where communities find water to be a controversial issue.

The most obvious answer is that they can get water from farmers who still have water. For decades, development around Phoenix has relied, in part, on converting agricultural water rights to municipal use. Recently, private investors have bought up agricultural water rights in the state in hopes of reselling them to home builders.

Governments have also become involved. In 2003, San Diego, desperate to diversify and secure its water supply, purchased decades of water from the Imperial Irrigation District. In return, the imperial farmers agreed to let the land fallow temporarily (for 15 years) as water efficiency and conservation measures were implemented.

If not for the details, this deal is worth following in spirit. Last year, the federal government ordered her seven states in the Colorado River Basin to cut their usage by about 25%. Farmers have to give back the most and are not bought cheaply. Fortunately, the Inflation Reduction Act includes his $4 billion in drought relief efforts in the Southwest, with some of the money going to fallow fields and promoting conservation. What is needed next is for farmers and governments to agree on the price of water and the production that must fallow when water is given up.

As a result, farming communities will suffer losses in crop yields, related industries, and employment. Taxpayers will be stuck to cover the hefty costs of letting those acres fallow and shutting down all its economic activity. You might even find the prices of everything, down to burger lettuce, skyrocket.

That said, trading is always good for everyone. Development has water to encourage growth, and farmers have economic incentives to invest in conservation, which can lead to more efficiency and higher yields. In time, as water use is rebalanced between agriculture and cities, the natural inclination towards innovation promises better outcomes for the desert southwest and the nation.

Bloomberg Opinion Details:

• The whale trade to save the ocean (and us): Lara Williams

• Kansas shows what a drier future might look like: Adam Minter

• How to keep the Colorado River from drying up: Mark Gongloff

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Adam Minter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia, Technology and the Environment. He is most recently the author of Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale.

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