843. A closer look at how these alleged water-hogs stack up against other crops in terms of nutrition, environmental and economic impacts.
843. A closer look at how these alleged water-hogs stack up against other crops in terms of nutrition, environmental and economic impacts.
References:
Water-indexed benefits and impacts of California almonds - ScienceDirect
Reducing Runoff from Irrigated Lands: Understanding Your Orchard's Water Requirements
Find a transcript here.
At a recent conference on nutrition and agriculture that I attended, one of the speakers made a casual comment about how much water it takes to grow almonds–perpetuating a widespread misunderstanding. Today, we're going to try to put that into context.
Hello! I’m Monica Reinagel and this is the Nutrition Diva podcast, a show where we take a closer look at nutrition news, research, and rumors, so that you can make more informed choices about what you eat.
Although I enjoy them throughout the year, our household goes through a lot more almonds at this time of year...from the tins of spiced nuts I give as hostess gifts, to the special cookies I make for gluten-free friends, to the big bowl of unshelled nuts (complete with Grandma's silver nutcracker!) that serves as the centerpiece on our holiday table. And apparently, it's not just me. According to industry figures, sales of almonds and other nuts reliably jump during the winter season.
At the same time, many people continue to worry about the environmental impact of almonds and almond farming--specifically, the charge that almonds are uniquely wasteful when it comes to water. For example, maybe you've heard that it takes a gallon of water to produce a single almond.
So I thought this would be a good time to take a closer look at their actual water footprint. What does the most current research tell us--and how does it square with this persistent belief about almonds and water usage?
It’s true that almonds are a very water-intensive crop. Crops that grow on trees just require more water than vegetables, legumes, or grains because they have longer growing seasons, deeper root systems, and because there's a lot more plant material to sustain relative to the part we actually harvest.
But contrary to popular lore, almonds are no more water-intensive than other similar crops. When grown in comparable climates, pistachios, walnuts, and even olives all use a similar amount of water. In fact, depending on irrigation method and yields, pistachios and walnuts sometimes actually use slightly more water than almonds.
In any case, if your barista's been giving you the side eye when you order your latte with almond milk, let me arm you with some facts. Nut milks require significantly less water and land and produce less greenhouse gas emissions than dairy milk. In fact, when it comes to greenhouse gasses, almond milk may actually be one of the better choices, because almond trees trap more CO2 in their leaves than other crops.
But getting back to water issues: it's true that almonds use a large share of California’s water supply. But that's because they make up such a large share of California’s agricultural economy.
The growing conditions in California are ideal for almonds. They have mild winters, long dry summers, and an unusually large, well-developed system for managing the pollination needs of almond orchards—especially honeybee colonies. Almonds are also a very high-value crop—farmers can earn far more per acre growing almonds than just about any other crop.
Worldwide demand for almonds has also skyrocketed in the last two decades, in part due to sustained campaigns by industry groups to promote their health benefits.
Commodity groups that support almond growers have spent millions of dollars funding research into almonds’ effects on cholesterol, appetite, blood sugar, body weight, and more...all in an effort to convince consumers that almonds are a super healthy food.
And it worked! Although our consumption of other nuts has stayed relatively steady, our intake of almonds has quadrupled over the last half-century. In addition to eating more almonds, we’re buying more almond butterand baking with almond flour.
And even though almond milk doesn’t really deliver the same benefits as almonds, it is also perceived as being very healthy. For consumers who want to avoid both dairy and soy, almond milk remains a popular choice. That said, if you’re primarily concerned about the water footprint of your latte, soy, pea, or oat milk would be the best choice, followed by rice milk, almond milk, and lastly, cow’s milk.
As the demand for almonds has grown, hundreds of thousands of acres of California farmland have been converted over to almond farming. Although the total acreage dedicated to almonds has contracted slightly in recent years, California still produces roughly 80% of the world’s almonds.
Unfortunately, California has also been experiencing a historic mega-drought. So far, in the Western U.S., the 21st century has been the driest stretch in over a thousand years. Although the state has had a few wet years lately, the long-term trend is still bending towards hotter summers, reduced snowpack, and less predictable rainfall. As Californians nervously eye their dwindling fresh water supply, almond growers are suddenly in the cross-hairs for using up more than their fair share.
But switching to other less water-intensive crops would have serious economic impacts. Almonds use a lot of water, but they also pump an enormous amount of money into the local and regional economy, supporting tens of thousands of jobs. Converting almond groves to lettuce or strawberry farms might use less water but would also take billions of dollars of revenue out of the system.
Studies from UC Davis and the Pacific Institute show that, in terms of the economic return per gallon of water used, almonds continue to outperform many alternative crops that use similar amounts of water. Moreover, according to data published by the Pacific Institute, more of California's precious water supply is used to grow alfalfa to feed cattle than to grow almonds.
Finally, no one is more invested in a sustainable solution than almond growers themselves. If they can’t (or can’t afford to) irrigate their almond groves, they go out of business. Consequently, they are working hard on programs to reduce water use. And they have made quite a bit of progress.
Since the year 2000, California almond growers have cut the amount of water required to produce a pound of almonds almost in half, largely by investing in more efficient irrigation systems. More than 80% of orchards now use precision micro‑ or drip‑irrigation, utilizing advanced technology including digital soil moisture probes, satellite monitoring, and real‑time irrigation scheduling tools.
The bottom line: Almonds use up a lot of California’s water supply simply because they grow so many almonds there. And not only do they generate more revenue per gallon of water than most other crops, the most recent published analyses from UC Davis and the Pacific Institute found that almonds also produce more nutrients per gallon of water than most other crops--specifically, protein, monounsaturated fats, vitamin E and magnesium.
So if almonds are part of your holiday traditions—or your everyday eating—I hope this reality check has helped you feel less conflicted about enjoying them. Almonds are water‑intensive, yes, but they’re not outliers among nuts and other tree crops. They deliver substantial nutritional and economic value for the water they use, and growers have made significant strides toward using that water more efficiently. As with most sustainability questions, the goal isn’t to avoid a particular food altogether, but to try to make choices that balance environmental impact with nourishment, enjoyment, and the realities of how our food system works.
If you have a question or topic you’d like me to tackle on the podcast, you can email me at nutrition@quickanddirtytips.com. And if you’d like to find out about having me speak at your next in person or virtual event, you can learn more at wellnessworkshere.com
Nutrition Diva is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast. Holly Hutchings is our Director of Podcasts. Steve Riekeberg is our audio engineer, Morgan Christianson heads up Podcast Operations & Advertising, and Rebekah Sebastian, is our Manager of Marketing and Publicity and Nat Hoopes is our Marketing and Operations Assistant. Thanks to all of them and thanks to you for listening!