[dlor]

The price for the water is also several orders of magnitude different. Farms pay 100-1000x less. It's not drinkable so some difference is expected, but this is too much.

Raising their price would ultimately increase food prices across the country - but that's the reality. Right now CA urban water users subsidize food prices across the nation.

[einarvollset]

If only 5% of CA water is urban use, then surely the subsidy is minimal.

Also - driving the Central Valley I see no end of “Congress stole our water” signs, so clearly some change is happening. Why can’t agriculture in more rain prone areas compete?

[b9a2cab5]

Just a guess: probably a combination of weather/soil and cheap labor. California is always sunny, the central valley is very fertile, and the state is very friendly to illegal immigration.

[Spooky23]

The miracle of the desert is truly a miracle. Sunny warm California is a farmers dream, except for the lack of water.

[fersho311]

Adding some facts to this, because California tends to get hot frequently. When it gets too hot, plants slow (and eventually stop) photosynthesis above 68 degrees F

https://sciencing.com/effect-temperature-rate-photosynthesis...

[0x0nyandesu]

The rain prone areas are too cold for much of the year.

[hasmanean]

Hydroponics allow you grow crops in PVC pipes with a lot less water wastage and theoretically maybe even move them around on trucks. You could grow something on a parking lot.

Could be the future if climate change results in unpredictable weather and you don’t want to lose your crop to an early frost.

Northern Ontario has tons of lakes, nice summers and lots of rock to anchor humongous hydroponic towers to.

[mcphage]

> Hydroponics allow you grow crops in PVC pipes with a lot less water wastage and theoretically maybe even move them around on trucks. You could grow something on a parking lot.

I really like hydroponics, but you never (rarely?) see it used to grow heavier, food-dense foods like potatoes, or anything that grows on a tree. It’s all leafy salad greens and strawberries. I don’t really know why that is.

[hasmanean]

Maybe because they’d have to be sealed against light to grow root vegetables.

[zdragnar]

Or too hot. Lots of crops grown on california would be happy in Georgia if not for the heat.