Almond cultivation in California

Almonds are California's most valuable export crop. Farmers exported $4.5 billion worth to foreign countries in 2016, about 22% of the state's total agricultural exports. The majority of these exports went to the European Union, China and India.[1] While the EU is the largest consumer, the latter two countries are expanding markets where the state's Almond Board has actively marketed the nuts as a healthy snack.[6]

As part of the 2018 China–United States trade war, China has imposed a 50% tariff on almonds. As a result, some Chinese businesses have resorted to importing almonds from other producers in Africa and Australia.[8]

During the global supply chain disruption, shipping companies placed a lower priority on products that paid lower shipping rates resulting in various exports being delayed. More than three-quarters of the containers leaving Los Angeles were empty in July 2021 whereas about two-thirds of the containers leaving U.S. ports are typically filled with exports. Many of containers were going back empty due to the rush by shippers to bring in imports of back-to-school supplies and fall fashions from Asia.[9] This impacted the almond growers along with Midwestern farmers who ship to customers overseas.[10]

Beekeepers in a California almond orchard

Like many crops, almond cultivation requires cross-pollination. Although almonds can be pollinated by many insects, commercial almond farming is heavily dependent on honey bees. Commercial almond growers may rent hives during the blooming season to ensure pollination success.[11] Starting in 2006, California almond growers began to suffer losses due to colony collapse disorder, a poorly understood phenomenon resulting in the decline of bee populations.[2] While this increased pollination expenses for many growers, high demand for almonds created an incentive to transport bees from across the United States to California. The state's bee population has since partly recovered, and in 2018 accounted for more than half of all bee colonies in the United States.[2]

California drought status, July 19, 2016

California suffered a severe drought from 2011 to 2017. In addition to economic consequences for the state's almond growers, the industry came under criticism for its water use. As of 2015, almond cultivation consumed about 10% of the state's water.[12] Furthermore, almond acreage increased by 14% from 2007 to 2014, while almond irrigation increased by 27%.[13] Critics have pointed out that the state's 6,000 almond farmers use roughly 35 times the amount of water as the 466,000 residents of Sacramento.[14]

To supplement reduced deliveries from the state's water system, many almond farmers increased groundwater pumping, which can unsustainably deplete aquifers and cause land subsidence.[14]

Almond production fell somewhat as a result of the drought, contributing to higher prices and dampening consumer demand.[2] To compensate, many farmers removed older, less-productive almond trees and replaced them with newer plantings that use less water. Since these trees will take half a decade to become productive, some farmers have expressed concerns about a future almond surplus.[2]

Winton

In the 2015/2016 crop year, the California almond industry produced over 1.5 million metric tons (1,500,000 long tons; 1,700,000 short tons) of hulls and over 0.5 million metric tons (490,000 long tons; 550,000 short tons) of shells. Historically, these byproducts have been used for livestock feed and bedding, or as fuel for cogeneration plants. However, declining demand for these uses combined with an increasing supply of almonds has created a mismatch. The Almond Board of California, an industry association, has researched ways to incorporate almond byproducts into other industries such as food, automotive, and pharmaceuticals.[1][2]

One possible use investigated by the Board is feedstock for bioenergy. For example, biochar made from almond shells can be integrated into automobile and plane tires, allowing them to better resist changing temperatures. Biochar can also be used to make stronger, biodegradable plastic goods such as garbage bags and flower pots.

A similar sustainability initiative has been "whole orchard recycling". At the end of their productive life, whole almond trees are ground up and the remains are integrated back into the soil, which retains the tree's nutrients. This process also increases the soil's ability to hold water.[3][4]