PASO ROBLES, CALIFORNIA Wine grower Kevin Jussila spends sleepless nights these days. Climate change threatens Jussila’s Kukkula area in the Adelaide wine region near Paso Robles.
– I already noticed 30 years ago how the climate seemed to be changing. On this farm, I have been able to witness in practice the warming of the climate and the decrease of rains, says Jussila in her home on top of the hill.
Jussila’s father was born in Tampere and moved to Canada in his twenties. The mother, who has Finnish roots, was born in Canada.
– Making wine is farming, which was my passion as a child. I had a wonderful vegetable garden where we got vegetables for our family, Jussila recalls.
The farm on the hill has vines on an area of more than 20 hectares, and olive and walnut trees also grow there. Food purity is important to Jussila, and she follows the principles of organic farming.
– We also don’t use an irrigation system.
Dry-cultivated vines grow a deep root system in stony and clay soil, which efficiently binds moisture. The roots also get important nutrients from there.
According to Jussila, they do better than artificially irrigated vines, which grow their roots close to the ground and need more water due to evaporation.
A neighboring winery of the same size using an irrigation system uses the same amount of water in a week as Kukkula’s farm uses in a year.
Pests and diseases are rampant as the climate changes
Historically, Adelaide has had an average annual rainfall of 711 millimeters. In the last ten years, the amount of rain has dropped by almost half, despite the proximity of the mountainous coast.
– Drought is now a problem, but in addition to that, we have to plant new seedlings throughout the vineyard because of a viral disease called red spot, which is common in vineyards. This is an expensive operation that will take ten years, Jussila laments.
There is no cure for scarlet fever. The disease changes the chemical composition of the grapes, and the vines no longer produce quality wine.
Jussila has had to install a drip irrigation system for the new vines against her principles, because she fears for her livelihood and her expensive investment.
– As much as I would like to be a dry farmer, I think I need a backup system. Without it, this company can collapse, and a significant amount of capital is sunk into running it.
Food production is at risk
The fields stretch as far as the eye can see in the 47,000 square kilometers of farmland in California’s Central Valley. The fight against the climate and water crisis is concentrated there, as 80 percent of California’s water resources are used in the Central Valley.
The Central Valley region is responsible for more than 13 percent of US food production. No other state can reach such a high number.
Now part of the farmland is bare. It has been left unplanted due to lack of water.
An even more disconcerting sight are the thousands of fruit trees that have dried up and are lying in dry fields. Food is now produced less than before and it is more expensive.
However, the reckless consumption of water is coming to an end, as the Colorado River, which provides water for agriculture and more than 40 million people, is drying up. As a result, there is water in Lake Mead, the largest artificial lake in the United States only 27 percent of its capacity (you switch to another service).
The vicious circle is ready. The lower the lake level drops, the faster the heat evaporates the surface water, which does not rise due to the lack of rain.
The level of the artificial lake has never been this low since 1930, when it was filled with water flowing from the Colorado River after the Hoover Dam was built.
Groundwater has been used up
Professor Stephanie Pincetl studies natural resource use at UCLA’s Institute for Environment and Sustainable Development. He considers the current situation in California’s Central Valley completely unsustainable.
– Farming has polluted waterways to the point of being unusable. It is also one of the reasons for the region’s water shortage, Pincetl tells in a phone interview.
More and more economically productive but water-demanding almonds, pistachios and fruits are produced in the central valley – at the expense of grain, cotton and fodder crops. A large part of the harvest goes abroad.
– Basically, we are selling our products away, says Pincetl.
During previous dry spells, California has relied on groundwater, but that too is running out. The faucets have to be turned off, because the price of water has skyrocketed (you switch to another service).
Wine grower Kevin Jussila says that the livelihood of small farmers is threatened.
– The wells have to be dug deeper, which means that pumping costs rise when more electricity has to be used. Those who can afford it, drill deeper all the time at the expense of their neighbors’ water resources, says Jussila.
Deadly heat threatens agricultural work
Oscar Lopez plowing the land at the Kukkula winery. He is one of about 120,000 Mexican farm workers in California. Their livelihoods are also at stake.
– The problem is very serious, crops are lost due to the drought. I pray that it rains more so that we can continue working in agriculture, because food production is in danger of ending here completely, Lopez tells .
Climate change has also made working conditions more difficult and increased health risks. The biggest problem is the heat.
– This year in particular has been particularly hot, often over 40 degrees, says Lopez.
There is no law at the federal level (you switch to another service), which would prohibit working outside when the temperature rises to a certain degree. The guidelines, if any, and enforcement will depend on the state and the employer.
– Even though California has a stricter law and better control, Mexicans have already died from the heat in this region, Lopez says.
In California, 90 percent of farm workers are Latino. The Environmental Agency EPA evaluates (you switch to another service), that 40 percent of the Hispanic population lives in areas that will regularly be too hot to work outside full-time. The means of adaptation are few.
– During the worst hours of heat, we can do lighter work in the shade and drink more water.
There is not enough water to water the lawns
People of Latin American background do most of the outdoor work in cities as well. In them 44 percent of water (you switch to another service) goes to watering lawns and gardens. It has been customary to wash the sidewalks as well.
In Los Angeles, automatic watering was limited to two days a week last summer. The lawns dried up, although a well-kept lawn in front of a single-family house is an important part of the American suburban identity.
– We have to change the plant species we plant in our gardens. It’s important to keep in mind that every drop of water we use to wash sidewalks is out of our drinking water, says Professor Stephanie Pincetl.
Brown lawns have been replaced with artificial grass or native plants, which do not require constant watering in a city built in the desert. The water utility pays compensation to homeowners and businesses that remove their lawns and replace them with drought-tolerant plants.
More on the topic:
Here, the worst consequences of climate change are already happening – Mana, 7, died next to her mother in a refugee camp hut
The drought in the western part of the United States is expected to last for a long time – the states are already arguing about water regulation
Almost 30 percent of American birds have disappeared, but hummingbirds persevere – the world’s smallest birds are masters of adaptation
The American West is suffering the worst drought in more than a thousand years, according to a new study