It sounds almost like science fiction, but it’s true: The farmers in America’s breadbasket – the region that feeds not only the nation but the world – are literally running out of water for their crops.
That’s because the source they’ve depended on for decades – the Ogallala Aquifer – is dangerously close to going dry. Combine that with drought conditions, and you have a disaster.
As NBC News put it, “billions could starve.”
It’s the subject of this week’s Off The Grid Radio, as we discuss an under-the-radar issue that could become the story of the century with Venki Uddameri, director of the Water Resources Center at Texas Tech University, which has released a major study on the aquifer which covers eight states.
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From Texas to Nebraska to South Dakota, farms that have tilled the land for decades may be forced to close. Uddameri tells us:
- The latest estimates on the amount of water left in the aquifer.
- Why rainfall won’t solve the problem.
- What solutions may be available.
- Why the laws in some states have made the problem only worse.
Said one scientist of the problem: “We’re headed for a brick wall at 100 miles per hour.” After you listen to Venki, you’ll likely agree.
Podcast: Play in new window [2] | Download [2] (Duration: 19:35 — 22.4MB)