Better Planet & Better Life

What can we do today to make tomorrow a better world? Smart food choices are great for the environment and enrich our daily lives!

Food Water Footprint Facts

California produces safe, affordable farm products using less water than is used in many other countries. Check out how we compare on a selection of products.

California Farms at a Glance

Learn more about California’s farms and their contribution to the economy with this fast fact sheet: California Farms at a Glance. California farms are leaders in the nation- producing high-quality, affordable, and abundant farm products efficiently. Our farms form the backbone of many rural economies, supporting businesses, jobs, and their communities.      

Food Water Footprints, Interactive Fact Sheet

California is a world leader in food and fiber production. Our state produces more than 400 different crops across a wide range of climates, soils, and topographies. Family farmers who are experienced with local conditions adapt to circumstances, using their expert judgement, innovative practices and technologies help to make California the nation’s leading farm state. […]

Now is the time to prepare for our water future.

Now is the time to prepare for our water future. California’s water system is broken; with an inefficient maze of more than 15 federal, state, and other agencies controlling California’s water, our efforts to improve California’s water systems and prepare for uncertainty is threatened. Despite an abundant year of rain and snow, nature alone can’t fix […]

Drought Fact Sheet – May 2015 (revised 5-26-15)

In May of 2015, almost 75% of farms had sustained cutbacks of 80% or more in water supplies. Learn more about the 2011-2017 California drought in this Drought Fact Sheet, dated May 26, 2015. [gview file=”https://farmwater.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/California-Agriculture-Drought-Fact-Sheet05262015.pdf”]   2011-2017 California Drought

Drought Fact Sheet – April 2015

In April of 2015, farms in California had sustained multiple years of severely restricted water supplies, and went unmentioned in a declaration by Governor Brown requiring mandatory conservation among California’s urban water users. Recognizing the significant efforts by agriculture, Governor Brown rebuked attacks that he hadn’t asked enough from California’s farms and rural communities in […]

Water that grows farm products doesn’t stay on the farm

Water that grows farm products doesn’t stay on the farm. It becomes part of the food we eat and clothing we wear, making consumers the true end users of farm water. California farms consume 8.3 trillion gallons of water in a normal year but farmers aren’t using water frivolously on their lawns or taking long […]