Often times those of us who live in cities live in such a way that our connection to the earth is not obvious. At Alemany, we aim to provide space that closes gaps between people and the green-and-blue Earth.
Urban Farmers living in a world facing climate crisis can’t forget that we are people in an ecosystem experiencing drought.
Drought cycles are nothing new to CA. Most of us remember the six year drought in the 2010’s which strained our agricultural landscapes. Many of our elders remember the drought of the 70’s when it was illegal for a restaurant to serve a table water prior to the patron’s request.
Again as urban dwellers and food producers it’s tricky walking the line of growing food (25,000 lbs/year) for our local community while also conserving water for daily humxn use of drinking and bathing, and the well-being of creeks, rivers, lakes, wild places, animals and insects.
As we turn towards our driest time of the year aptly named “Fire Season” this balance gets even more complex. Fires are a symptom of climate collapse, an example that we can point to and understand on individual and community levels. When we look to our neighboring communities that have burned, to the east, north and south, often it is people’s home gardens, a well irrigated buffer that can help save homes and neighborhoods when this sort of disaster strikes.
What does all this have to do with our work at the farm? We live within an interconnected web: everything is everything. And as teachers of responsable stewardship, we offer a few ideas on now to conserve water in times of drought:
-Cut back on how much you irrigate your garden. We did! We spoke with our friendly landlords @sfrecpark and agreed to reduce our use by 1/3.
-Use efficient irrigation methods! We use drip tape (more efficient than overhead watering from a hose or sprinkler)
-Consider timing. We run irrigation first thing in the AM or in the evening to avoid evaporation in the hottest part of the
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