Could Washington become the new California when it comes to vegetable production into the future?

That’s the question a recent Journal article penned by a Washington State University PhD candidate tried to answer. Fidel Maureira said there are two issues that will impact California’s ability to produce fruits, vegetables and nuts into the future.

First, he noted, the fact not additional land is being produced. Maureira said since farmland is finite, and urban populations continue to expand, California will not be able to meet growing worldwide demands.

“[California] will still be a great producer of fruits and vegetables, but it can’t grow anymore.  So, as demand increases California can’t supply that.”

On top of that, comes climate change. Maureira said rising temperatures, more frequent heat waves, drought, less snowpack, pests and diseases, wildfires, and the resulting over-use of resources such as groundwater, will make production in California more challenging into the future.

“It will affect the quality of the production, and especially the water supply will be limited in the future.  Today, we are ready for that.  And we expect that water limit will play even more or a role than before.”

Maureira noted that vegetable and fruit production will improve in Washington through the middle-portion of this century, but if climate change continues on its current path, things will deteriorate as we head towards the year 2100.




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