California’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program helps farmers transition irrigated land into new uses, such as wildlife habitat, groundwater recharge areas, or even solar farms. The idea is to save water while strengthening rural communities.
This offers a more sustainable path forward than simply leaving fields unplanted, which is a common “business-as-usual” strategy, said Gopal Penny, a researcher with the Environmental Defense Fund who co-authored a study about California’s new approach in the journal Frontiers.
“When farmland is pulled out of production, if it's left barren and idle, that can contribute to dust storms, that can contribute to a proliferation of weeds and pests,” said Penny. He noted that idling cropland can also degrade soil health and worsen air quality, often hitting underserved communities hardest.
Penny said the lessons from California could be especially valuable to states in the Mountain West, where rivers are shrinking, groundwater is being depleted, and drought is increasingly severe. By engaging local farmers, tribes, and residents in planning, and by turning land into projects that give back in more than one way, states could protect water resources, strengthen rural economies, and build more resilient landscapes.
He said states that do that are likely to be better prepared for future water shortages.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between KUNR, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
