The California Farm Water Coalition (CFWC) is engaged in a mission to serve the state’s agricultural community by supporting responsible irrigated water use in an area of the country with a well-documented history of water resource challenges.
California also has a history of devising innovative solutions to those challenges and the CFWC has played a pivotal role in encouraging the stewardship of the state’s water since its inception in 1989. Its members include most water districts and agencies in the state as well as agricultural organizations, farmers, private citizens and others who are interested in irrigated agriculture.
Agriculture is an essential element of California’s economy and impacts the livelihoods of millions of people. Research conducted by the Department of Water Resources indicates farmers use 41% of the state’s available water (whether originating from inside or outside the borders) on more than 250 different crop types and irrigates 9.6 million acres of land using 34 million acre-feet of water in an average year. This is an exceptional amount of water and exacting methods of efficiency are required to maintain this supply year after year. This is most commonly and effectively accomplished through irrigated agriculture.
The CFWC emphasizes the importance of improving these methods, advocating their use and informing the public about its impact on water availability through its Farm Water Works! public outreach initiative. It provides a way for large-scale water users and water resource administrators to communicate, share ideas and work together to increase efficiency in water use.
Irrigated agriculture use and technology must evolve as the California population and agricultural industry grows, and the CFWC has taken on the task of advocating this advancement. Organization members understand that the future of the state’s water resources depends upon its responsible and efficient use now and will continue to work to safeguard its supply.