Water is one of the most vital substances for human beings because our bodies are around 70% water and we need to maintain that percentage for good health. We also need water for personal hygiene, laundry, food preparation, and recreation purposes. Water is also required for gardens and farming – or is it?
Can One Farm Without Water?
Two of the essential ingredients to gardening or growing fruit and vegetables are sunlight and water, but what does one do when one lives in a drought-stricken area? Even if there is a drought, people still need to eat, and this requires growing food. Some innovative farmers have come up with a way to farm without using water.
Can one farm without water? Actually yes, one can… or at least with a minimum amount of water. Innovative farmers in drought-stricken California have started “dry farming†and the results are nothing short of miraculous.
Farmers who practice dry farming intentionally greatly limit the amount of water that they use on their crops. Some water is used during the first few weeks of the planting season so that the plants get a good start, but then the supply of water is completely cut off.
One would think that the plants would die without water, but in actual fact the exact opposite is true; the young plants grow incredibly deep roots as they seek out the water deep in the ground. Produce such as grapes, tomatoes, apples potatoes, and melons have done very well from dry farming, and are far sweeter and more flavourful than those grown conventionally.
Of course there are some downsides to this type of farming; it produces between 3 and 10 times less produce per acre and it is more work intensive. In order to prevent the moisture from evaporating through the surface, farmers must till the soil all year long so that it reaches a very dusty consistency.
Dry-farming is not for everyone, and it is not commercially viable for many, rather a labour of love. While dry-farmed produce is sweeter and is gaining a good following, it is not the way to a fortune. It is, however a way for farmers to still produce food to feed the locals at least during a drought, and with practice and experimentation one hopes that a way can be found to produce a higher yield.
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