Gone APES! Current Events & More

Pitt, J. (n.d.). With rivers tapped out, Western cities turn to farmers’ water rights. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from

http://www.edf.org/blog/2014/11/11/rivers-tapped-out-western-cities-turn-farmers-water-rights

Farmers in Colorado are buying land just for the water to be able to keep their crops alive. Since the west is in a major drought these farmers are pushed to do anything they can. The reason the water is being taken away from these farmers is expanding cities need to use it. Since the priority is humans the government feels the need to give them all the water they want. With the Buy and Dry technique the farmers just use the land for water so other parts of the land start to deteriorate. Weeds start to grow and the land becomes unusable to future farmers who want to grow there.

There can be some alternatives that will help these farmers and the growing populations in nearby towns. Firstly if we just improve the irrigation infrastructure and make it more efficient then we can save water and give more to the farmers who need it. Secondly we should invest in more agricultural efficiency. This would mean that farmers would get a better education and understanding of how to farm bigger and better but keep the environment healthy and use less water. These need to be integrated into Colorado’s farming system soon because if they keep destroying the land just for water they won’t be able to grow crops soon enough.