<story><title>How California Is Winning the Drought</title><url>http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/opinion/sunday/how-california-is-winning-the-drought.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;module=opinion-c-col-right-region&amp;region=opinion-c-col-right-region&amp;WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region&amp;_r=0</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>giltleaf</author><text>Hydroponic farms, vertical farms, and agroecology could all do even better. Unsustainable food production is more of a contributor than personal consumption (though people&amp;#x27;s obsession with meaningless green lawns is also ridiculous).&lt;p&gt;I wish the article did a better job of exploring various agricultural solutions - drip irrigation is just a baby step when compared to something like hydroponics. Hydroponic production uses anywhere (and I&amp;#x27;m just trying to remember the various claims I&amp;#x27;ve seen in both studies and articles without going back to them) from 75%-90% less water than conventional ag, beating drip irrigation off the low end.&lt;p&gt;Agroecology challenges the monoculture system that (I think) caused this over-consumption. By planting thirsty crops like corn and polluting the existing aquacultures with the pesticides needed to preserve an area lacking any sort of biodiversity, monocultures have created a fragile food supply that increasing prices (and terrible subsidies) continue to highlight. Agroecology, on the other hand, encourages a system of farming that takes into account the cultural&amp;#x2F;social context of a region while suggesting methods (grounding those suggestions in data) of production that respect local ecology and agricultural practices for increased production.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>cmsmith</author><text>If we&amp;#x27;re willing to invest in engineered solutions like hydroponics and vertical farms, then there is no need to be growing crops in California in the first place. The advantage of California agriculture is that you can grow crops outside year round. If you&amp;#x27;re growing inside, then you might as well grow where the water&amp;#x2F;people are.</text></comment>
<story><title>How California Is Winning the Drought</title><url>http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/opinion/sunday/how-california-is-winning-the-drought.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;module=opinion-c-col-right-region&amp;region=opinion-c-col-right-region&amp;WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region&amp;_r=0</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>giltleaf</author><text>Hydroponic farms, vertical farms, and agroecology could all do even better. Unsustainable food production is more of a contributor than personal consumption (though people&amp;#x27;s obsession with meaningless green lawns is also ridiculous).&lt;p&gt;I wish the article did a better job of exploring various agricultural solutions - drip irrigation is just a baby step when compared to something like hydroponics. Hydroponic production uses anywhere (and I&amp;#x27;m just trying to remember the various claims I&amp;#x27;ve seen in both studies and articles without going back to them) from 75%-90% less water than conventional ag, beating drip irrigation off the low end.&lt;p&gt;Agroecology challenges the monoculture system that (I think) caused this over-consumption. By planting thirsty crops like corn and polluting the existing aquacultures with the pesticides needed to preserve an area lacking any sort of biodiversity, monocultures have created a fragile food supply that increasing prices (and terrible subsidies) continue to highlight. Agroecology, on the other hand, encourages a system of farming that takes into account the cultural&amp;#x2F;social context of a region while suggesting methods (grounding those suggestions in data) of production that respect local ecology and agricultural practices for increased production.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>trhway</author><text>Efficiency? What efficiency?! CA farmers are increasing nut trees acreage because nut trees require a lot of water, and thus nut prices are going up in the current drought, and thus the farmers are rushing to increase the production of such profitable product. (Heard on NPR)</text></comment>