Reliable wells suddenly running dry. A new bill in the mail for $12,000. Lowering pumps that have sat as they are for a decade. Small farms around California are navigating the impact of decades of overpumping groundwater around them and the challenges of keeping up with new groundwater regulations.
To address the rapidly shrinking groundwater resources, California passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014. With the goal of reaching sustainability by 2040, this legislation gave the responsibility of groundwater management to local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies. This means that groundwater regulations look really different around the state, corresponding with the severity of the overpumping in each region.
SGMA mandates the consideration of all beneficial uses and users of groundwater, including small-scale farmers. However, this approach categorizes “agricultural users” as a general term encompassing small, mid-size, and large-scale farms. This misses a key difference: small-scale farmers are responsible for less of the groundwater pumping, and often lack the adaptive capacity to comply with new regulations.
For the past three years, CAFF and the UC Small Farms Network have been working across groundwater basins to understand what the new regulations mean and to help farmers prepare for what changes may be coming. Based on this work, we created a comprehensive report that details all our findings: Managing Groundwater with Small Farms in Mind.
This first-ever report details the specific ways that family farmers are vulnerable to some of the proposed demand management actions of SGMA. It highlights the disproportionate costs that small farms will face if not given additional consideration under these new regulations. The report holds more than 50 recommendations detailing how state and local agencies can take steps towards supporting small-scale farmers.
CAFF and the UC Small Farms Network will continue sharing resources on how to understand groundwater regulations, how groundwater agencies can support family farms, and how to engage with this important new approach to groundwater governance.
Read the executive summary, the full report, or our key takeaways for Californian communities, Groundwater Sustainability Agencies, and State Agencies at www.caff.org/sgma-small-farms
Plus, join us in conversation with Maven’s Water Notebook on August 4 or with Berkeley Food Institute on September 16 for a discussion of the report’s findings and recommendations. Report authors Catherine Van Dyke and Ngodoo Atume will present findings from the report during upcoming webinars hosted by Maven’s Notebook (August 4) and the Berkeley Food Institute (September 16).
For questions on the report, please reach out to sgma@caff.org.
This work is funded by the Department of Water Resource Underrepresented Communities, California Tribes, and Small Farmers Groundwater Technical Assistance Program (URCTA). This document does not reflect official positions or regulatory standards applied or used by the Department when administering its functions under SGMA.