California Farmers to Be Paid $2.9 Billion to Produce Less Food, Save Water

In a bid to send additional water through the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta for restoration of wet lands, the State of California along with local, regional, and state agencies have reached an agreement to use state and federal funds to pay rice farmers $2.9 billion to fallow acreage roughly equal to 6% of the state’s rice production. In turn the net amount of water saved from the agricultural activities, roughly enough water to serve nearly 5 million people each year will be used to expand run off into the Delta.

For the details, here is the Associated Press report.