2y ago

Arizona moves to end Saudi farm's controversial groundwater deals to grow, export alfalfa

www.azcentral.com

Gov. Katie Hobbs' administration on Monday announced two steps to stop a controversial Saudi Arabian company from using groundwater beneath state land in western Arizona to grow and export alfalfa.

Hobbs said in a statement that the Arizona State Land Department had canceled one of its leases to Fondomonte Arizona, and would not renew three others that are set to expire in February.

36 comments

This is amazing news. Glad we have an actual competent governor now. Good work Katie Hobbs! Fuck republican scum.
- Was this a big issue in Arizona? Were lots of people upset about it?
  
  Yes and yes. Water intensive crop grown in a place that lacks water resources.
  Source: Arizonian
  
  Agriculture uses up the most water in the Southwest - particularly in AZ and California. So, yes curtailing water use from thirsty crops is a big issue. Furthermore, these companies are drawing ground water from increasingly deep wells which is unsustainable and leads to shallower neighboring wells drying up.
  
  Lots of people in Nevada also need that water. So yes.
You guys in the US are using up way too much of your groundwater for farming in scorching hot areas like Arizona and Texas even without the Saudis. Isn’t there enough farmland in states with a less hostile climate?
- In the past there were enormous aquifers below the surface. The water was under so much pressure that you could tap it and it would erupt like a geyser. So for generations farmers in these areas had what they thought was unlimited water. Now those aquifers are empty or nearly empty and these farmers are resistant to that reality.
  
  Of course no one wants to face this devastating reality…
  In the end it will probably be a large wealth transfer from the states without groundwater to the ones that still have groundwater. Farmers will have to buy land in the groundwater states and the land in the dry states will be practically worthless.
- It depends on the crops and the time of year.
  A lot of the crops grown in Arizona are fruits and vegetables grown to be harvest in the off-season of typical harvests.
  
  People should note that indigenous groups had also been practicing agriculture along the rivers all through the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. Agriculture isn't the problem overall, unsustainable crops like alfalfa are.
Saudi Arabia unable to buy a US resource?
Ok who has meddled with the cosmic forces and needs to atone?
Had no idea they were cloning and selling one of the little rascals. How dare they.
- I think a lot of people aren’t getting your reference since the movie is a little old now but I get it, kudos sir
Fucking communist!!!
Why does she hate free markets...
- You forgot your 'air quotes' to indicate sarcasm.

36 comments