Agriculture

Environment

California greenlights massive kelp farm off southern coast

Amy Taxin

Ocean Rainforest plans to grow giant kelp to develop agricultural products that can be used in the strawberry- and avocado-rich region. Some environmental advocates worry whales could get tangled in the lines used to grow the kelp.
Science & Technology

Growing food and power on the same land: California researchers test agrivoltaics

As California farmers face worsening drought, extreme heat and rising costs, the state is racing to expand solar energy infrastructure.
Politics

California drew the line on regenerative agriculture. Farmers are making sense of it

Gerardo Zavala and Katerina Graziosi

California became the first state to define regenerative agriculture after two years of public debate. The new framework focuses on eight key areas meant to improve and restore soil health.
Education

‘Kids are actually eating the food’: State expands lunch program that pairs schools with farms

Carolyn Jones

Through the Farm to School program, schools get grant money to obtain fresh, local food; send students on field trips to farms; and send cafeteria workers to culinary academies.
Environment

Arizona, California and Nevada would share cuts under federal proposal to manage the Colorado River

Wufei Yu, Dorany Pineda and Brittany Peterson

A proposal announced Friday spares Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming from facing mandatory cuts for now. But it’s a temporary fix as the states that rely on the river still fight over management of the dwindling resource that powers huge swaths of the Western U.S.
Racial Justice and Social Equity

They once taught about a hero. Now faculty rethink César Chávez lessons after allegations

Khadeejah Khan

Some faculty have dedicated their careers to researching César Chávez’s life, legacy and labor movement leadership. Following the New York Times’ investigation that revealed a long pattern of Chávez sexually abusing women and girls, college faculty across California are evaluating their research and curriculum about California’s farmworker movements.
Economy

San Diego farmland shrunk 23% in a decade. Can a new 'matchmaking' program stem the tide?

Alexander Nguyen

California Farmlink Land Access connects property owners with farmers seeking land to lease. The nonprofit is expanding to San Diego.
Environment

As temperatures rise, is California doing enough to keep its farmworkers safe?

Sarit Laschinsky and Andrew Garcia
Quality of Life

How fear of Trump’s immigration blitz is changing life in California farm towns

Nigel Duara

Tax receipts are down almost 30% in one California farm town, where immigrants are afraid to go out and some longtime workers are weighing self-deportation.
Science & Technology

Study reveals source of rain is major factor behind drought risks for farmers

City News Service

Published in Nature Sustainability, the research traces atmospheric moisture back to its source. Moisture from the ocean can travel long distances through storms and other large weather events.