By Ariel Dinar, Doug Parker, Helen Huynh, and Amanda Tieu, Giannini Foundation Of Agricultural Economics
The California water sector faces many challenges and demonstrates the ability to adapt. With a water-dependent economy, the state of California’s water sector is very vulnerable to external climatic shocks as well as changes in demands by an ever-growing population and dynamic agricultural sector. In response to these challenges, the California water sector continues to reform itself by introducing various types of waters, and developing regulatory tools to protect sustainable water use, water quality, and water-dependent ecosystems. In addition to the evolution of the technological, institutional, and agronomic capacities of the water-using framework, the state has seen changes in the perceptions and behaviors of its water consumers and decision-makers.
Excerpted from California Agriculture: Dimensions and Issues, 2nd Edition.
