In recent decades, California’s San Joaquin Valley has drastically changed. The Valley, one of the nation’s most productive agricultural regions and a core component of the nation’s food system, has gotten hotter, wells have dried out and aquifers have collapsed. The production of some of the region’s economically important crops such as walnuts, pistachios and stone fruits that need a certain number of chill hours per year will be threatened if temperatures continue to rise. In the southern part of the valley, walnut trees have been pulled out because they’re no longer economically viable to grow.
Lana Cohen
A new regional report from California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment finds that climate change is intensifying longstanding challenges in the San Joaquin Valley, including water insecurity, extreme heat, flooding, wildfire smoke, poor air quality, and pressure on agriculture and ecosystems. The report highlights a broader range of solutions than the state’s previous assessment, emphasizing strategies that can simultaneously address water insecurity, extreme heat, agricultural transitions, ecosystem restoration and economic needs.
Dr. Angel Santiago Fernández-Bou, a senior climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, is a contributing author of the San Joaquin Valley Regional Synthesis Report, which evaluates updated climate projections, research on climate impacts, community input, and case studies showcasing how communities are responding to mitigate and adapt to these risks.
“Science continues to reinforce that the San Joaquin Valley faces serious and interconnected climate challenges,” said Dr. Fernandez-Bou.
“But communities are not starting from scratch. In The Valley people are already working to restore soil health with regenerative agriculture practices and create self-sustaining environments by restoring land with native plants.”
The assessment highlights a series of solutions that could be used in The Valley to protect the environment and support the region’s economy.
Solutions
- Multi-benefit land repurposing: Strategically transition agricultural land to reduce water demand while restoring habitat, supporting groundwater recharge, improving community health and creating economic opportunity.
- Agrivoltaics and ecovoltaics: Land can be repurposed by paring solar with agriculture or ecological restoration.
- Forecast informed reservoir operations: Use weather and hydrologic forecasts to guide reservoir releases to reduce flood risk, improve water supply and benefit local ecosystems.
- Regenerative agriculture and agroecological practices: Using cover crops, compost, biochar, no-till farming and diverse crop rotations to help improve soil health and reduce methane emissions.
- Nature-based solutions: Use natural or living systems such as wetlands, forests, soils and native vegetation to do the work that manmade materials and structures, concrete for example, used to do.
“Climate resilience doesn’t mean preparing communities for more damage,” said Dr. Fernández-Bou. “Climate resilience means helping the Valley use land and water differently while improving economic opportunity, restoring essential ecosystems, supporting Tribal priorities, and making communities healthier and more adaptable.”