We all face a grim outcome when our bodies are deprived of water. At first, your muscles cramp. Some short time later, you'll begin to hallucinate. Death comes a bit later. Of course, at any point you can simply drink water and avoid this all together. But for California farmers — who lost an estimated $2.7 billion as a result of the drought and dismal crop yields in 2014, according to a UC Davis study — decisions for the future must be made with available resources in mind, said Linda Gassaway. With her husband, Miles, she owns and operates Sustained Harvest Farms, a 12,000-square-foot aquaponics farm in Goleta.
After years of below average rainfall and record temperature highs, California's heat stress has caused symptoms that show it has become weakened by extreme water loss. Rekindled wildfire hotspots, dry wells, and dust storms are just a few of the effects. One of the factors associated with California's dry condition is that an estimated 80 percent of state water supplies go to industrial-style agriculture. Since many of the state's farms are located in arid climates, much of that water can be lost to evaporation before it even soaks into the ground. Still, California is able to produce a vast amount of farmed goods; it leads the nation is agricultural output. The only problem is, it all hinges on an exhausted supply of water.
While state lawmakers continue to grapple with the complex relation between our economy, agriculture, and drought, The Gassaways have stepped up to the challenge, leading the way in developing a for-profit model of aquaponic farming, a method of agriculture that is sustainable, and safe for the environment. Aquaponics gets its name from combing aquaculture (raising fish) with hydroponics (raising plants in water). This closed-looped system recycles water between a system of fish tanks, piping, and beds of vegetables suspended in nutrient rich water.