6 ms·
This is very much true in NM where I live. Agriculture accounts for 79% of yearly water use. We're known for our chile (63,000 tons) but that's dwarfed by alfal
by LarryDarrell 3y ago
This is very much true in NM where I live. Agriculture accounts for 79% of yearly water use. We're known for our chile (63,000 tons) but that's dwarfed by alfalfa (784,000 tons).
I'm not sure what the answer is. The farmers have their own water rights, and as a group are pretty well politically connected.
We could try Eminent Domain or unilaterally breaking those old water contracts... but that's guaranteed to make the Supreme Court. Given the current make up of the SC, I don't see any decision coming that might curtail property rights. I'm guessing it'll be perpetual subsidies for letting land go fallow.
- selimthegrim 3y agoIf the court returns land to Native title that might do it
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- dsr_ 3y agoThe chiles only get grown there. Alfalfa is alfafa, nobody cares about the terroir.
- colechristensen 3y agoIt's pretty simple, put small, but yearly growing taxes on "stupid to grow in the desert" crops like alfalfa. Slow enough to make the transition away from them reasonable for the farmers, but high enough to pressure them into no longer producing the crops.
- cyberax 3y agoThe state can prohibit growing certain types of water-hungry agriculture. This won't be an infringement of water rights.